Traditional vs. Laparoscopic Surgery

Posted: April 1, 2005

Using a laparoscope, a tiny telescope that allows the surgeon to see inside the body, enables surgical procedures to be done with specially designed instruments that are inserted through small incisions.

Advantages of laparoscopic surgery
Compared to traditional operations, there is less trauma to the skin and muscles and less post-operative pain and disability with a laparoscopic procedure. Also, patients have a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery period.

Another advantage is a reduced infection rate. This is because delicate tissues are not exposed to the air of the operating room over long periods of time.

Video magnification also offers surgeons better exposure of the diseased organ and its surrounding vessels and nerves. As a result, delicate maneuvers can better be performed.

Disadvantages of laparoscopic surgery
The disadvantages of laparoscopy include the expensive equipment involved in performing it. Not all hospitals may be able to afford certain procedures.

Another issue is the need for surgeons to take special training in performing the minimally invasive operations. The need for additional training is because laparoscopic surgeons leave the familiar territory of a three-dimensional operating field to working on a two-dimensional flat video display. Learning the procedures requires some degree of practice moving the long laparoscopic instruments while handling delicate tissues.

Finally, laparoscopy cannot always be performed on everyone. For example, some patients with many prior operations may have so much scar tissue within the body that a safe laparoscopic operation cannot be done.

Source: The Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons

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