LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY- AN OVERVIEW

Laparoscopy is a type of surgery that gets its name from the laparoscope, a slender tool that has a tiny video camera and light on the end. When a surgeon inserts it through a small cut into your body, they can look at a video monitor and see what’s happening inside you. Without those tools, they’d have to make a much larger opening. Thanks to special instruments, there’s less cutting, and your surgeon doesn’t have to reach into your body, either.

Laparoscopic surgery is used in the abdominal and pelvic areas. It is sometimes called keyhole surgery because a surgeon uses two to four small cuts, which are usually no more than a half-inch long, in your belly or pelvic area. Then they use flexible tubes to insert a lighted video camera and special tools into your body.

A laparoscopy can be used?to?diagnose?conditions such as appendicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and some cancers, such as liver cancer and ovarian cancer. It's also used for surgery to treat conditions, such as: removing organs such as the appendix or gall bladder.

Laparoscopy Procedure

Before your laparoscopy, you might have to take imaging or blood and urine tests. You’ll have an IV inserted into a vein so you can receive fluids, pain medications, and anesthesia?during the procedure. Doctors will also put a breathing tube down your throat to make sure your airway stays open. You might have a urinary catheter inserted, and then your skin will be cleaned with a disinfectant solution.

To begin the procedure, your surgeon will make the necessary small cuts in your belly or pelvic area, and tubes will be placed for the camera and tools. A drain might also be placed.

In some operations, the surgeon can put the camera and the surgical tool through the same opening in the skin.?It might mean less scarring, but it’s trickier for your surgeon because the instruments are so close together.

In other cases, your doctor may decide to use a device that lets them reach in with a hand. This is called “hand-assisted” laparoscopy. The cut in the skin must be more than half an inch in length, but it still can be smaller than the one made in traditional surgery. This method has made it possible to use laparoscopic surgery for the liver and other organs.

Next, carbon dioxide will be pumped in to separate your abdominal wall from your organs. This will make it easier for the surgeon to see your organs. Finally, your?doctor can put a camera and tools through the tube or tubes, and they can complete the procedure guided by images on a video monitor.

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Robotic laparoscopic surgery

Technology can help the medical team be more precise. In the robotic version of laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon first cuts into the skin and inserts the camera, as usual. Instead of taking hold of the surgical instruments, they set up a robot’s mechanical arms. Then they move to a computer nearby.

With?robotic surgery, the monitor gives the surgeon a 3D, high-resolution, magnified image inside the body. As they watch the screen, they use hand controls to operate the robot and surgical instruments. This lets the surgeon be more exact, and it can mean less impact on your body and less bleeding. You may also have less discomfort after the operation. Robotic surgery is especially helpful for gynecology and urology surgeries. Most prostate removal operations use robots.

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Laparoscopy Recovery

You may feel some discomfort after laparoscopic surgery, and this is normal. Here's what you might experience as you recover:

• Nausea.?Your doctor may recommend you drink clear liquids until the?nauseous?feeling passes. Avoid carbonated beverages for a few days. You can then move on to soft foods and resume your regular diet after your doctor’s approval.
• Shoulder pain.?As you recover, you might notice pain in your shoulders. It's caused by the carbon dioxide used to inflate your abdomen during the surgery. The leftover gas can press on a nerve, which directs pain to your shoulder area. The discomfort should stop in 1-2 days.
• Incision pain.?You’ll receive instructions on how to care for your incisions before you leave the hospital. However, if?your wounds become red, swollen, or painful, or if you have discharge or bleeding, call your doctor right away.?If you still have a drain in place, you will need to keep the tubing clear and might need to empty the collected fluids a few times a day.
• Abdominal or?pelvic pain.?You should start to feel better after a few days, but if it starts to get worse, call your doctor.

Author - Dr. Nitin

MBBS

Doctor @ Novel Healthtech Solutions Pvt. Ltd.