Laparoscopic Surgery
In minimally invasive surgery, doctors use a variety of techniques to operate with less damage to the body than with open surgery. In general, minimally invasive surgery is associated with less pain, a shorter hospital stay and fewer complications.
Laparoscopy — surgery done through one or more small incisions, using small tubes and tiny cameras and surgical instruments — was one of the first types of minimally invasive surgery. Another type of minimally invasive surgery is robotic surgery. It provides a magnified, 3-D view of the surgical site and helps the surgeon operate with precision, flexibility and control.
Types of minimally invasive surgery
- Adrenalectomy to remove one or both adrenal glands
- Anti-reflux surgery, sometimes called hiatal hernia repair, to relieve gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Cancer surgery, for example, to destroy a tumor
- Colectomy to remove parts of a diseased colon
- Colon and rectal surgery
- Ear, nose and throat surgery
- Endovascular surgery to treat or repair an aneurysm
- Gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) to remove gallstones that cause pain
- Gastroenterologic surgery, including for gastric bypass
- Gynecologic surgery
- Heart surgery
- Kidney transplant
- Nephrectomy (kidney removal)
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopedic surgery
- Splenectomy to remove the spleen
- Thoracic surgery, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)
- Urologic surgery
