Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopic surgery also referred to as minimally invasive surgery describes the performance of surgical procedures with the assistance of
a video camera and several thin instruments. During the surgical procedure, small incisions of up to half an inch are made and plastic tubes
called ports are placed through these incisions. The camera and the instruments are then introduced through the ports which allow
access to the inside of the patient.
The camera transmits an image of the organs inside the abdomen onto a television monitor. The surgeon is not able to see directly
into the patient without the traditional large incision. The video camera becomes a surgeon’s eyes in laparoscopy surgery, since
the surgeon uses the image from the video camera positioned inside the patient’s body to perform the procedure.
Benefits of minimally invasive or laparoscopic procedures are
- Less post operative discomfort since the incisions are much smaller
- Quicker recovery times
- Shorter hospital stays
- Earlier return to full activities
- Much smaller scars
- There may be less internal scarring when the procedures are performed in a minimally invasive fashion compared to standard open surgery.
In addition to simply looking inside, a doctor can use fine instruments which are also passed into the abdomen through another
small incision in the skin These instruments are used to cut, trim, biopsy, grab, etc, inside the abdomen. This laparoscopic
surgery is sometimes called 'key-hole surgery' or 'minimal invasive surgery'. Laparoscopic surgery can be used for various procedures.
Some commonly performed operations include:
- removal of the gallbladder. This is sometimes called a laparoscopic cholecystectomy or 'lap choly' for short. It is now the most common way for a gallbladder to be removed.
- removal of the appendix.
- removal of patches of endometriosis.
- removal of parts of the intestines.
- female sterilisation.
- treating ectopic pregnancy.
- taking a biopsy (small sample) of various structures inside the abdomen which can be looked at under the microscope and/or tested in other ways.
Gastroenterology
Endoscopy, particularly gastroscopy and colonoscopy, involves the inspection of the stomach and bowel using fibreoptic
or television microchip instruments, particularly for the detection and prevention of cancer.
WHAT IS A GASTROSCOPY
Gastroscopy is the passage of a small flexible, lighted fibrescope through the mouth into the stomach which allows
your Doctor to visually examine the lining of the oesophagus (gullet), stomach and duodenum (small bowel).
WHAT IS A COLONOSCOPY
Colonoscopy is a procedure which allows your Doctor to visually inspect the inside of the bowel by the insertion of a
fibreoptic or video flexible telescope through the back passage, this painless operation allows sampling of the lining
(biopsy) or removal of small tumours or polyps. It has the advantages over the alternate method of examination, barium
enema, by allowing these operative procedures and providing greater detail and accuracy.
WHAT IS ERCP
ERCP is an endoscopic procedure done by gastroenterologIist . In this procedure, a side-viewing endoscope is passed through the
patient's mouth, down the esophagus, through the stomach and into the duodenum. X-ray dye is injected into the common bile duct
and/or pancreatic duct. These two major ducts join together .The procedure is generally done using intravenous sedation, but
sometimes is done under general anesthesia. Indications for the procedure include diagnosis of cancer of the Ampulla, pancreas,
or bile ducts, bile duct stone removal, evaluation of recurrent pancreatitis and pancreatic duct anomalies, and evaluation of
unexplained abdominal pains.
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