Laparoscopic surgery, also referred to as minimally invasive surgery, is a semi-fancy way of describing an operation. In the past, laparoscopic surgeries were considered nifty because they allowed your doctor to get you sweet results (as compared to “open” surgeries where they had to use a not-so-funny incision) without leaving all sorts of scars on your body from wherever it would be that the doctor cut into you.
Performed using trochars inserted through ports, it became easier for doctors to smoothly slide various instruments in the body and take video clips into their screens cameras known as laparoscopes. This will help further detect and understand medical conditions.
Before surgery, the surgery team inflates the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas to create a working and viewing space for the surgeon. The laparoscope transmits images from inside the body to high-resolution video monitors in an operating room. During surgery, the surgeon watches these detailed images on these monitors and can operate using small incisions, just like with traditional surgery.
The benefit of laparoscopy is that this kind of surgery tends to be less time and energy consuming than conventional procedures. Laparoscopic surgery relies on a smaller incision, ensuring a swifter recovery.
Who needs laparoscopic surgery? Here are some medical conditions that might need to undergo the procedure:
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a finger-shaped pouch that projects from your colon on the lower right side of your abdomen. The only problem is that we still don’t know what exactly causes it. Some believe that appendicitis could be caused by the consumption of food rich in sugar and high in carbohydrates. On the other hand, others think it might be due to too many clumps of bacterial infectious flora which create heavy loads for the digestive system to handle.
The worst part is that not much can be done about it unless you get rid of it surgically because pretty much all cases end up having to go under an operation.
Ovarian Cysts
The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. They’re located in a woman’s lower abdomen on both sides of her uterus. Women have two ovaries that help produce eggs as well as important hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. It’s possible for women to develop an ovarian cyst, which is a fluid-filled sac that may or may not be harmful.
Cysts are caused by benign growths on the ovaries and they happen naturally due to changes in hormone levels during menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. Unfortunately every now and again a cyst can also be formed because of cancerous cells in one’s body.
Uterine Fibroids
Fibroids are muscular tumors of the uterus (known as a womb to you and me). They usually grow in the walls of the uterus, making them benign. What this means is that they are not cancerous and that they won’t spread to other parts of your body – which is definitely good news! It’s no secret that fibroids can cause symptoms such as pelvic pain.
They may also cause heavy bleeding during your periods and make it hard for you to go about your daily life. All these symptoms sound pretty serious, right? This can be really hard to live with. Treatment for fibroids depends on what kind of symptoms you have.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction is like having a rubber band in your hand and then trying to make it release. You have to relax it so that it can release when you let go, but if you hold onto it too tightly, you may lose control of the situation. Your pelvic muscles are like this as well; they’ll tighten up and not allow for healthy movement of the pelvic regions and inappropriate ejection of waste or fluids from the body.
Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect you both sexually and physically causing issues with urinating, moving bowels, sexual intercourse for women, or even retention of urine among other things. Just be sure to keep them relaxed.
Pancreatitis
Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that usually attacks men between the ages of 30 and 40. When this disease first begins, it can be easily confused with acute pancreatitis because the symptoms are similar. The most common symptoms are upper abdominal pain (or central) and diarrhea (or steatorrhea).
As time passes, chronic pancreatitis patients may lose weight and become malnourished as well as develop diabetes mellitus. Chronic pancreatitis symptoms have to be managed carefully. Pain management and nutritional support are the primary concerns along with enzyme supplements for digestion of food, which is crucial in avoiding alcohol, as well as diabetes management through insulin injections.
Key Takeaway
If you were to be told that you need surgery, it’s understandable if your eyes widened a bit or your heartbeat a bit faster. After all, no one wants to have open surgery for any reason–but there are cases when we don’t have the option to delay and must plan more in advance where our preferred method of surgery takes place.
One of the most frequently selected types of surgery is laparoscopic surgery, which gives the surgeon airspace to work through while making fairly minimal cuts in the skin. This type of procedure is commonly elected over other types because it minimizes scarring, bleeding, and pain. At the same time, it is still allowing doctors access to organs/territories that might otherwise require more invasive means such as open or external surgeries.
