Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Procedures

Laparoscopic procedures include treatment for:

• Appendicitis
• Small bowel tumor
• Colon cancer and diverticulitis
• Diagnostic evaluation for abdominal pain
• Esophageal reflux
• Hernias: Inguinal (groin), Umbilical (belly button), Incisional and Epigastric
• Gallbladder disease/gallstones

Minimally Invasive Procedures (MIP) are changing the way many people think about surgery. Patients who choose MIP over conventional surgery may no longer face lengthy recoveries and hospital stays. Instead, they are able to get back to the things that are important to them much sooner.

MIP, which includes laparoscopic surgery, uses state-of-the-art technology. When performing a Minimally Invasive Procedure, the surgeon creates small, dime-sized incisions that allow the use of a miniature camera, or videoscope, and specialized instruments to perform the procedure-so there's no need for a large, conventional incision.

How It Works

For most procedures, surgeons trained in MIP use trocars (thin tubes) placed through three to five small, dime-sized incisions. After the trocars are inserted, carbon dioxide gas is used to inflate the abdomen and create a working space between the internal organs and the skin. Then a videoscope is placed through one of the trocars so that the surgical team can view the procedure from video monitors in the operating room. The image on the video monitors is magnified, which provides better visibility for the operating room staff. Specialized instruments are placed through the other trocars to perform the operation. In some procedures, like MIP for colon conditions, a slightly larger incision may be needed while in other procedures, such as MIP for hemorrhoid surgery, no incisions and no trocars are needed.

You May Be a Candidate for MIP

As more than 20 million Americans have already experienced, MIP offers significant benefits over conventional surgery. Are you a candidate for MIP? That's a question you'll need to discuss with your doctor. But MIP has been proven to provide outcomes equivalent to those of conventional surgery.

MIP is designed to get you back to the things that are important to you as quickly as possible. In fact, MIP has been proven to provide outcomes equivalent to those of conventional surgery and has many significant benefits over conventional surgery:

• Less Recovery Time - Since MIP requires smaller incisions than conventional surgery (usually about the size of a dime), your body can heal much faster.
• Less Time in Hospital - MIP helps get you out of the hospital and back to your life quicker than conventional surgery.
• Less scarring - You won't have to cope with large scars from MIP. Most incisions are so small that most people probably won't even notice them after the incisions have healed.1
• Less pain - Since MIP is less invasive than conventional surgery, there is typically less pain involved.

Find out if MIP is an option for your surgery by talking with your doctor.

Every type of surgery-whether Minimally Invasive or conventional-has its risks and complications. Your physician will be happy to help you understand your procedure best.

Endovascular Treatment and Surgery

Vascular surgery involves either an artery or a vein. When the surgery is done from within the blood vessel, it is called endovascular surgery.

Endovascular surgery is a relatively new, less-invasive procedure for treating the two major problems that can develop in blood vessels: an aneurysm and a narrowing (also called an occlusion or stenosis).

An aneurysm is a weakness in a major blood vessel that causes a portion of the vessel wall to balloon out. For years, the problem was repaired by exposing the vessel through an incision and replacing the weakened portion of the vessel with a synthetic graft sewn into healthy ends of the vessel. The surgery required general anesthesia.

Narrowing, or occlusion, is another condition that can occur inside an artery or a vein. In the past, when narrowing occurred in the carotid arteries (the arteries that supply blood to the brain), an incision was made in the neck to place a synthetic graft. This surgery also required general anesthesia.

Endovascular surgery uses an easily accessible smaller artery to reach the problem and may require general anesthesia. During most endovascular procedures, a long plastic tube called a catheter is placed into the femoral artery in the groin. Using X-ray imaging, a physician advances the catheter to the aneurysm or narrowing.

To repair an aneurysm, a hollow, manufactured tube (a graft with metal attachments) is pushed through the catheter to the aneurysm and anchored in place.

To open a narrowing, an angioplasty with stenting is done. An angioplasty is a procedure in which a balloon is inserted and advanced to the narrowing. The balloon is then inflated, and a stent (a small, mesh-like stainless steel tube) is moved to the narrowing. The balloon is deflated and removed, and the stent expands and presses against the inner walls of the artery, keeping it open.

Advantages of Endovascular Surgery

• Less discomfort.
• Local or regional anesthesia instead of general anesthesia.
• Reduced need for blood products.
• Less invasive, making it safer.
• Smaller incision.
• Less stress on the heart.
• Fewer risks for patients with other diseases, such as coronary artery disease, kidney or lung problems.
• Shorter recovery time.

While traditional vascular surgery procedures have been performed for more than 50 years, endovascular procedures have been widely used only since 1995. Therefore, the long-term results of endovascular surgery require further follow-up.

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