Laparoscopy is safer, better performed at an early stage before any infection sets in

Laparoscopy or keyhole surgery, as it is commonly referred to, is an advanced surgical procedure to examine organs in the abdomen and to treat any diseases associated with these organs. This is accomplished using a telescope called laparoscope to look inside the patient’s abdomen. This procedure is done using small incisions of 1 to 1.5cm as against the traditional large incisions (6 to 7cm) of an open surgery. So this procedure is of low risk and less invasive to the patient and hence also called a “Minimally Invasive Surgery”. The surgeon works away from the internal organs using a high resolution camera, high intensity light, tiny instruments and a medical TV monitor. Commonly performed laparoscopic surgeries: With advent of newer surgical techniques, advanced surgical skills and modern technological advances, laparoscopy can be used to treat a large number of abdominal problems which until now needed a painful and prolonged open surgical procedure. Some common surgical problems which can be effectively managed by laparoscopy include cholelithiasis or gallstones, a condition seen very frequently in UAE (almost 30-40%). These are seen more often in obese people, women with multiple pregnancies, heredity and biliary infections.

Laparoscopy is safer and better performed at an early stage before an overt infection sets in. Abdominal hernias can also be treated very effectively by laparoscopy, be it inguinal, ventral or umbilical. These hernias cause pain and swelling in the abdominal wall and need to be treated at an early stage before complications like obstruction or strangulation set in.

Laparoscopy is also very helpful in dealing with emergency surgical conditions like appendicitis (appendix infection), cholecystitis (gallbladder infection), and abdominal abscesses (fluid collections). Laparoscopy is also useful in patients with prolonged abdominal or pelvic pain when other noninvasive methods like ultrasound or CT scan are unable to point out the diagnosis. It can be used to look for the cause of pain and treat the condition at the same time if feasible. It is also beneficial to take biopsies (samples of tissues) from internal abdominal organs in cases of abdominal masses or tumours, liver disease and abdominal fluid collections. Surgeries of the small and large bowels can also be performed laparoscopically as in case of perforations (rupture), strictures (narrowing’s) and tumours. Key benefits of laparoscopy: The big advantage of laparoscopy over open surgery is a shorter hospital stay (1-2 days vs 4-5 days) and earlier return to normal activities (4-5 days vs 1-2 weeks). Also, the pain after surgery is much less (1-2 vs 5-6) and the cosmesis is much better as the scars are not visible after a few weeks. The wounds heal very rapidly and no prolonged postoperative dressings are needed.

The incidence of bleeding and infection is also much lower than in open surgery. Also, all the internal organs can be directly seen by the surgeon in real time in a larger view, which is not possible in an open surgery, thereby any associated abnormalities can be detected and treated.

With increasing patient awareness and rapid leaps in surgical techniques and modern technology, laparoscopy is the gold standard for the commonly encountered surgical problems which we come across.