As much as we want to know the advantages or the benefits of laparoscopic surgery it is wise to first understand clearly what laparoscopic surgery is, how it is performed, and who can have this procedure performed on them.


 

Let’s learn a few basics about laparoscopic surgery.
 

Laparoscopic surgery is also known as minimally invasive surgery. It can be defined as a modern surgical technique in which small incisions are made far from the area of operation. This technique involves the use of thin instruments and a camera to view the internal organs as the operation tales place.
 

Laparoscopic surgery has become very popular and it’s being adopted as the best method for performing surgical procedures. Open surgery procedure which is the traditional surgery procedure involves exposure of the internal organs in the operating room. Laparoscopic surgery does not expose the internal organs since only very small incisions in the body wall. As the popularity of this modern laparoscopic grows, it will soon replace the general open surgery procedure.
 

The thin instrument is called a laparoscope, and it has lenses that magnify the internal body organs, light to illuminate them and a camera that sends images of the organs to a television monitor in the operating room.
 

Laparoscopy is a way of performing laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopy is performed under general anaesthetic, that is, it is done when the patient is unconscious. A laparoscopic surgeon performs laparoscopy with the aid of a laparoscope which he inserts its tip through a small incision in the body wall. The television monitor enables the surgeon to see through the laparoscope so he can accurately direct it to the body organ that requires treatment.
 

Several incisions can be made separately depending on the surgery to be performed. Thin instruments can be put through the incisions so that the operation can be performed. When the surgery is done the incisions are stitched and dressed properly with small band aids.
 

Patients diagnosed with a wide range of conditions have laparoscopic surgery done on them in order to treat the conditions. 

Some of the conditions that laparoscopic surgery can treat are;
 

• Gynaecological conditions- the female reproductive system might be having problems that lead to infertility. Laparoscopic surgery enables the surgeon to identify the possible problems in the reproductive system and to find the best solutions to fix them.

• Problems of the urinary system- laparoscope which is very essential instrument used in laparoscopic surgery enables the surgeon to identify and treat the various conditions that are affecting the kidneys, ureter blockages, bladder diseases and incontinence.

• Removal of cancers of internal organs- some very critical internal organs such as liver and pancreas might be having unwanted growth of tissues. This tissues can be removed by laparoscopic surgery.

• Digestive problems- there are conditions that might affect the digestive system and the best way to treat them is by laparoscopy.
 

Advantages of Laparoscopic Surgery

There are quite a number of benefits associated with laparoscopic surgery compared with the traditional open surgery procedure.
 

Let’s get into the advantages of laparoscopic surgery.
 

Laparoscopic surgery as aforementioned involves making of small incisions in the body wall, this has greatly reduced blood loss due to the small size of the incisions. Open surgery involves large opening which involves a lot of bleeding and sometimes the bleeding can be so much that the patient would require a blood transfusion in order to compensate for the loss. Laparoscopic surgery has proved to be the best option to many patients because of this reason.

Reduced pain and bleeding after the surgery

The traditional open surgery is often at times associated with post-operative complications and pain. Sometimes the patients, due to the large incisions made, could experience a lot of pain and others bleed even to a point of death. However, this is so different with laparoscopic surgery, the small incisions that are made reduce the likelihood of bleeding and pain after the surgery. The post-surgical wounds of laparoscopy are much smaller and the time they take to heal is often smaller. There is no need to stay under long-term pain relief medication. Patients usually experience fewer discomforts which take few days to disappear.

Less scaring after surgery

The smaller incisions that are made during laparoscopic surgery often result to very small scars unlike in the open surgery. Open surgery presents a greater risk for infections to occur on the large wound. After an open surgery the patient is often left with scar tissue that can easily get infected if it is not well taken care of. Also those patients who are obese and overweight risk getting herniation in the wound. Laparoscopic surgery has greatly reduced this risk of infections to all patients and thus they are not rendered vulnerable to any kind of infections or herniation.

More detail on the organs to be treated is available
 

Laparoscopic surgery involves the use of a laparoscope which is fitted with a video camera. This video camera sends images to a video monitor which enables the surgeon to see and accurately identify details of the affected tissue in order to administer effective treatment. The video camera provides the surgeon with a magnified and more precise view of the patient’s internal organs and thus the procedure is done via observation for better results. This is not always the case with open surgery. In open surgery details of the affected organ might not be vastly available and thus treatment will not be sufficient and effective. In laparoscopic surgery the surgeon is able to ensure that all the unwanted tissue is removed and the organ is treated in the best way possible so that the patient would not develop complications in future. Sometimes open surgery has been said not to be very effective when some tissues that are developing are so tiny and are not easy to identify. This would cause serious problems in future.

Short recovery period
 

The period of stay at the hospital is often shorter with laparoscopic surgery. This is because healing takes much faster and actually laparoscopic surgery can be done on the outpatient basis. Laparoscopy could be performed on a patient and the patient can leave the hospital on the same day. Shorter recovery period would mean getting back to your normal lives without any complications. This is so different when it comes to open surgery procedure because patients are instructed to take longer periods of bed rest. Healing takes longer and patients can’t get back to their normal lives as quick as with laparoscopic surgery.

Get back into eating and drinking quicker 
 

This is usually an advantage to patients who have undergone bowel surgery either on their digestive system or the urinary system. After the laparoscopic surgery these patients can get back into eating and drinking faster than in the past. There will be no complications associated with it unlike in the open surgery procedure and one had to wait for some longer period in order to get back into eating and drinking. This is simply because healing takes a longer time in open procedure.

Reduced exposure of internal organs 
 

Laparoscopic surgery has greatly reduced exposure of the internal organs to possible external contaminants due to the small incisions that are made. A surgeon can view the internal organs on a video monitor which provides a wider view without necessarily having to expose the organs. This is not so with the traditional open procedure since the surgeon must expose the organs in order to operate on them properly. Exposure of the internal organs puts them at risk for infections that can be terrible in future.

Final word
 

As seen there are many advantages that associated with laparoscopic surgery. These advantages have shown that laparoscopic surgery when done well is very effective and the better option for patients with different internal conditions. However, we cannot afford to dismiss the other side of the laparoscopic surgery. There are some disadvantages that are associated with laparoscopic surgery which include being operated on when you are unconscious, nausea from the anaesthesia medicine, sensations of bloating accidental damage to tissues due to burning when there is leakage of electrons from the instrument, abdominal cramps and constipation. These disadvantages don’t take long, most of them actually disappear within one or two days after the surgery.
 

It is wise to note that all surgeries carry dome degree of risk but the level of the degree of risks in laparoscopic surgery is much lower than that in open surgery procedure. To keep these risks to their lowest laparoscopic surgery should be done by a professional who has gone through intense training on laparoscopic surgery. The handling of instruments involved in laparoscopic surgery should be done properly in order to avoid any damage to the internal organs of the patients. Technical advancements are also happening in laparoscopy and in near future laparoscopic procedure will become easy to perform and the most preferred surgical procedure.