What is laparoscopic surgery?
Laparoscopic surgery is a surgical technique that consists of placing short tubes, called trocars, at the abdominal level, through which forceps are introduced into the abdominal cavity to perform various procedures. It differs from conventional surgery in that, instead of making a large incision at the abdominal level to perform the procedure, it is performed through small incisions of 1 cm or less, where the trocars are introduced. That is why it is also called minimally invasive surgery.
What are the advantages?
The main advantage over conventional surgery is that by reducing the size of the incisions the patient experiences much less pain in the postoperative period, so that the patient’s recovery, both in hospital stay and in her normal life, is much shorter than in conventional surgery.
It also has other advantages from the surgical point of view, less bleeding, fewer complications of the surgical wound, it does not influence intestinal motility and reduces digestive complications associated with abdominal surgery.
When is laparoscopic surgery used?
It can be applied to the most frequent gynecological surgeries such as hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), adnexectomy (removal of the ovaries) and even in the treatment of early stage gynecological cancers, as well as in the diagnosis of some advanced ones.
It is used in gynecology because it avoids large incisions at the abdominal level and, therefore, significantly improves the aesthetic result, and also has all the advantages mentioned above: shorter hospitalization (it can even be performed on an outpatient basis without admission), much faster recovery of the patient and fewer complications during surgery and in the immediate postoperative period.
What should be taken into account before performing laparoscopic surgery?
Before performing laparoscopic surgery it is important to perform a complete gynecological examination of the patient, since this technique cannot be applied in all cases. The gynecologist must have experience in this type of surgery, this is essential, since the success of the exploration will depend on it. And it must be performed in a center that has the necessary means, since it requires specific technology and instruments.