Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery as it also referred to, has become very popular in the U.S. and around the world in the past two decades. Today millions of gynecological and general surgical procedures are performed utilizing minimally invasive techniques. Minimally invasive surgery replaces large open incisions with a series of small tube like devices known as trocars (typically 3 to 5 per procedure); a video camera and small surgical instruments are inserted through the trocars to perform surgical procedures. A good example of the benefits of minimally invasive surgery is gallbladder surgery. Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery became popular in the early 1990’s. Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is typically performed as an outpatient surgical procedure and most patients are able to return to work and most activities within four to seven days. In contrast gallbladder surgery performed through open incisions involved four to seven day hospital stays and most patients were not able to return to work for six to eight weeks.

Minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery was originally performed by gynecologists for diagnostic purposes in the 1960’s. Over time as clinical experience grew and laparoscopic surgical tools became more advanced, surgeons were able to perform more complex surgeries. In the late 1980’s general surgeons began to investigate and adopt laparoscopic techniques. Today surgeons perform a variety of minimally invasive procedures including gallbladder removal, hernia repair, appendectomy, exploratory laparoscopy, colon resections, hysterectomy, tubal ligation, and more advanced procedures such as gastric bypass with roux-en-y for weight loss in morbidly obese patients.

The patient benefits of minimally invasive surgery are dramatic in comparison to traditional open surgery. Due to the many benefits such as less pain, reduced scarring, lower risks of infection and post operative incisional hernias, patients have begun to demand surgeons consider the least invasive approaches in meeting their surgical needs. The internet and news media are rich with information regarding surgical options, as well as offering information on the best minimally invasive surgeons, and centers of excellence for minimally invasive surgery. Patients requiring surgery should take it upon themselves to consider all options before agreeing to a treatment plan.

In the past year there has been much discussion surrounding the next generation of minimally invasive surgery, which is commonly referred to as NOTES. Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery involves the elimination of skin incisions by accessing internal organs through natural orifices such as the mouth, anus or vagina. While very early in its development many thought leading surgeons believe NOTES will again revolutionize surgical treatment and further reduce the pain of surgery while decreasing recovery time.

Minimally invasive surgery will continue to evolve over the next few years as NOTES and hybrid procedures become more commonly accepted surgical alternatives. Thought leading surgeons in partnership with industry continue to aggressively pursue the next generation of less invasive surgery in the hopes of further improving the quality of life of the surgical patient.