Laparoscopic surgery refers to an innovative surgery that slightly affects the nearby organs with less blood and only a small injury or no external wounds at all. The chance of disease or complications is also reduced without hospitalization for many nights, making it possible to return to normal life faster. This surgery greatly reduces the anxiety of patients and relatives.
Small wound surgery for many diseases
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) causes significantly slight damage to the nearby organs since the surgeon would construct a small hole about 0.5 cm. for 3 spots and 1 cm on the abdomen around the navel, or depending on the organ to insert a camera and surgical tools through the abdominal wall. The surgeon would see the organ through a large screen, making it possible to clearly see the surgery area. Therefore, this provides high accuracy and can also be done with many diseases, such as gallstones, appendix, hernia, diseases related to the colon, stomach, or even diseases of the internal organs of women, such as chocolate cysts and ovarian and uterine tumors. Laparoscopic surgery is a suitable alternative for those mentioned above.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Once a hole is created and a tool is inserted into the abdomen, the surgeon will remove the gallbladder from the liver through the hole in the navel area. The surgeon will use clips to stop bleeding instead of sutures. After the surgery is complete, the wound on the abdominal surface will be sutured. Hence, the wound is small and less painful.
Laparoscopic Appendectomy
The surgeon inserts a surgical tool through the hole and removes the appendix using a camera as a navigator. But if the surgeon finds that the appendix has ruptured or there is inflammation of the peritoneum caused by infection, an open surgery may be employed instead of a laparoscopic surgery depending on the severity and risks assessed from the health of the patient.
Pros of Laparoscopic Surgery
- Incision size is as small as 1-2 cm while open-technique surgery results in a wound width of 12-20 cm.
- The surgeon can clearly see the components of the desired surgery location with the magnification of the camera, leading to precision in surgery and reducing the impact on other organs.
- Injuries to tissues and internal organs from the surgery are reduced, leading to minor pain and blood loss as well as faster recovery.
- Complications and abdominal adhesions from open surgery are reduced.
- Recover at the hospital takes only 1-2 days. In some cases, patients may return home immediately after surgery. This is faster than open surgery which requires weeks of recovery.
- Laparoscopic surgery is safer than open technique abdominal surgery.
Limitation of Laparoscopic Surgery
- Cost is relatively high due to the need for special equipment while faster recovery is the outcome, thus reducing the cost of hospitalization.
- Laparoscopic surgery cannot be performed for some patients, such as patients with severe lung and heart disease or those who have undergone surgery and have plenty of abdominal adhesion.
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