What is Laparoscopic Surgery? Know the Procedure and its Advantages

YOGYAKARTA - Laparoscopic surgery is now one of the modern surgical methods that are increasingly used in the medical world. This technique allows surgical procedures to be performed through small incisions without having to open larger body areas such as conventional surgery. Laparoscopic surgery not only accelerates the healing process, but also helps doctors work with higher accuracy.

Want to know more about laparoscopic surgery? Reported from WebMD, the following will discuss the basic concept, stages of action, to the advantages of laparoscopic surgery.

What is Laparoscopic Surgery?

Laparoscopic surgery is a surgical procedure that uses a special tool called a laparoscope, which is a thin tube that has a small camera and a light at the end. This tool is inserted into the body through a small incision so that the doctor can see the condition of the organ directly through a video monitor. With the help of this technology, doctors do not need to make a large surgical wound as in the conventional method.

This method is often referred to as a keyhole surgery because it only requires two to four small incisions in the abdominal or pelvic area. Through these holes, cameras and surgical instruments are inserted to perform the necessary medical procedures. The incision size is usually no more than half an inch so that the scars are much smaller.

Before this technique developed, surgery on the abdominal area was performed through an open procedure or laparotomy which required an incision of 6 to 12 inches. A large incision does give the doctor a large working space, but the risk of pain and recovery time is longer.

Laparoscopic surgery is included in the category of minimally invasive surgery or minimally invasive surgery. Initially, this technique was used for gallbladder surgery and gynecological procedures, but now its application is increasingly widespread. Various organs such as the intestines, liver, kidneys, to the reproductive system can be handled using this method.

Not only for surgical procedures, laparoscopy is also often used as a diagnostic procedure when the results of CT scans, MRIs, or ultrasounds have not provided a clear picture. By seeing the condition of the organs directly, the diagnosis can be made more accurate.

Laparoscopic Procedure

Before undergoing laparoscopic surgery, patients will usually undergo a series of examinations including blood and urine tests. These tests are aimed at ensuring that the body is ready for surgery. Patients will also be given an infusion for fluid, medication, and anesthesia during the procedure.

When the operation begins, the doctor makes several small incisions in the abdominal or pelvic area. Through these incisions, a small tube is inserted as a camera and surgical instrument path. In some cases, doctors also install a drainage tube.

In certain techniques, the camera and surgical instruments can be inserted through the same hole. This makes the scars less, but it is more difficult to do because the instruments are very close.

There is also a hand-assisted laparoscopic method that allows doctors to use their hands directly through a slightly larger incision. This technique is usually used in the surgery of large organs such as the liver. However, the wound size is still smaller than conventional open surgery.

During the procedure, carbon dioxide gas is pumped to separate the abdominal wall from the organs. This step helps doctors see the body's structure more clearly. Doctors then insert a camera and tools through the tube. After that, the surgery is performed with real-time image guidance from a video monitor.

Advantages of Laparoscopic Surgery

As previously mentioned, one of the advantages of laparoscopic surgery is that the incision used is much smaller than conventional surgery. This provides many benefits for patients. Here are some of the advantages of laparoscopic surgery compared to conventional surgery:

Smaller surgical wounds Shorter hospital stay Less postoperative pain Faster healing process Lower risk of wound infection Lower risk of bleeding

For example, a conventional bowel operation can require up to a week of hospitalization with a recovery period of about 4 to 8 weeks. Meanwhile, patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery are generally only hospitalized for about two nights and can recover in two to three weeks.

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