Laparoscopic surgery is a type of operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis. This surgery uses advanced medical tools, which allows for smaller incisions. For this reason, it is also known as minimally invasive surgery. The cuts made by a laparoscopic surgeon are usually about a quarter-inch in size. Before this, doctors had to cut along 6 to 7 inches in the patient’s belly to see through and execute the operation correctly.
However, the instrument used in laparoscopic surgery is attached with a camera and light, making way for a better operation without cutting longer. This advancement has brought several benefits to doctors as well as patients. Some of the main advantages of laparoscopic surgeries are listed below.
Benefits of laparoscopic surgery
- Small cuts and thus less pain while healing
- Quicker operation
- Quicker recovery
- Fewer scars
- Increased precision
- Reduced hospitalization time
Common types of laparoscopic surgery
- Colon
The Colon is the longest section of the large intestine. Water, nutrients, and electrolytes are removed from partially digested food by the colon. The remainder, solid waste known as stool, passes through the colon, is stored in the rectum, and exits the body via the anus. The colon is one of the main parts of the human digestive tract.
Colon surgeries are required under certain medical conditions like colon and rectal cancers, inflammatory bowel diseases, diverticulitis, etc. And for that purpose, a laparoscopic procedure is used. First, a laparoscopic surgeon makes around 4 to 5 cuts in the patient’s belly. Then, the camera connected to a monitor allows the doctor to see the inside and thus proceed further accordingly.
- Inguinal Hernia Repair
Soft tissues may be weakened in the lower abdominal muscles, causing an inguinal hernia. It commonly occurs in or around the groin area. While performing an inguinal hernia repair, the surgeon will push the bulging tissues back into the belly while sewing and stabilizing the abdominal wall section containing the defect.
The same procedure can be performed through laparoscopic surgery, reducing the cut’s size, leading to more precise operation with less pain and quicker recovery.
- Gallbladder Removal
The gallbladder is an organ on the right side of the body, near the liver and just under the rib cage. Gallbladder removal is one of the most common laparoscopic surgical procedures. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and aids in the digestion of fatty foods. When the body does not consume food for a long period, such as while sleeping, the bile stored in the gallbladder is released.
In contrast, to open surgery, which requires a five to a seven-inch incision in the belly, laparoscopic gallbladder removal requires only four small incisions in the abdomen. Surgical instruments and a camera are fed into incisions during laparoscopic surgery to make appropriate cuts at multiple spots around the organ.
To sum it up, laparoscopic surgeries have made things a lot easier for doctors and patients. With the insertion of cameras connected with monitors, a laparoscopic surgeon can control the situation leading to a precise medical procedure.
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