Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopic and “minimally invasive” or “keyhole” surgery is a specialized technique for performing surgery.

Practically all abdominal surgery can be performed laparoscopically by trained surgeons.

In laparoscopic surgery, the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide gas to provide working and viewing space for the surgeon, and a laparoscope and surgical instruments are inserted through a few 0.5-1 cm incisions. Each incision is called a ‘port’. An instrument known as a trochar is inserted into each port; specialized instruments are passed through the caster wheels during the procedure.

The laparoscope transmits images of the abdominal cavity to high-resolution video monitors in the operating room. These cameras can be 2D or 3S.

During the operation, the surgeon watches detailed images of the abdomen on the monitor.

The benefits of laparoscopic surgery, compared to traditional open surgery, are shorter hospital stay, less post-operative pain, shorter recovery, fewer complications, less blood loss, fewer surgical site infections and less scarring with laparoscopic surgery. In surgical oncology, there is emerging evidence suggesting that oncological outcomes could also be superior.

General surgical procedures that can be performed using the laparoscopic approach include:

• Bariatric surgery
• Gallbladder surgery
• Inguinal hernia repair
• Abdominal hernia repair
• Hernias in athletes (Sports Hernias)
• Acid reflux surgery (nissen fundoplication)
• Stomach surgery (gastrectomy)
• Pancreatic surgery (pancreatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy/Whipple procedure)
• Small bowel surgery
• Spleen surgery (splenectomy)