‘Laparoscopic Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer’
– Key Hole Surgery
What is laparoscopic surgery?
Laparoscopic or “minimally invasive” surgery is a specialized minimally invasive technique for performing surgery. Presently this technique is commonly used for gall bladder surgery. Over the last 10 years the use of this technique has expanded into gastrointestinal surgery.
Laparoscopic surgery uses several 0.5-1cm incisions. Each incision is called a “port.” At each port a tubular instrument known as a trocar is inserted. Specialized instruments and a special camera known as a laparoscope are passed through the trocars during the procedure.. The laparoscope transmits images from the abdominal cavity to high-resolution video monitors in the operating room. During the operation the surgeon watches detailed images of the abdomen on the monitor. This system allows the surgeon to perform the same operations as traditional surgery but with smaller incisions.
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What are the advantages of laparoscopic surgery?
Compared to traditional open surgery, patients often experience
- less pain,
- early recovery
- a shorter hospital stay, and
- Less scarring with laparoscopic surgery.
What kinds of cancer operations can be performed using laparoscopic surgery?
Most Gastro-intestinal surgeries can be performed using the laparoscopic technique. These include surgery for Colon & rectum, Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery), Gastric bypass, Fundoplication, rectal prolapse etc.
However newer advances have made laparoscopic surgery feasible & safe for GI cancers like:
- Esophagus cancer:
- Thoracoscopic & Laparoscopic Surgery
- Stomach cancer:
- Staging Laparoscopy, Distal Gastrectomy, Palliative Bypass
- Pancreas cancer:
- Staging Laparosocpy, Distal Pancreatectomy
- Spleen:
- Laparoscopic Splenectomy
- Colon & rectum cancers:
- Hemicolectomy, Anterior Resection, APER procedures
- Liver cancer:
- Diagnostic & staging Laparoscopy, Left lateral segmentectomy
- Gall Bladder cancer:
- Staging Laparoscopy & Biopsy, Palliative Cholecysto-jejunostomy for jaundice.
How safe is laparoscopic surgery ?
In the past there had been concern raised about the safety of laparoscopic surgery for cancer operations. Recently several studies involving hundreds of patients have shown that laparoscopic surgery is safe for certain cancers highlighted above.
Laparoscopic surgery is as safe as traditional open surgery. At the beginning of a laparoscopic operation the laparoscope is inserted through a small incision near the belly button (umbilicus). The surgeon initially inspects the abdomen to determine whether laparoscopic surgery may be safely performed.
Any Gastro-intestinal surgery is associated with certain risks such as complications related anesthesia and bleeding or infectious complications. The risk of any operation is determined in part by the nature of the specific operation. An individual’s general heath and other medical conditions are also factors that affect the risk of any operation. You should discuss with your surgeon your individual risk for any operation.
For any queries contact your GI Surgeon:
Dr Manish Joshi – Bangalore
Email: docjoshi@gmail.com
+91-8197910166
Dr Manish Joshi
MBBS, MS, MRCS (UK), DNB – GI SURGERY, FHPB
Consultant Surgical Gastroenterologist, HPB Surgeon
& Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon
St John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore
Motto: ‘ Patient comes first’
docjoshi 