Feature: Minimally Invasive Surgery Surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery with the aid of a viewing scope that enters the body through tiny incisions. Surgeons manipulate especially designed surgical instruments that enter the body through small, hollow tubes, and then view the organ being removed or repaired on a video monitor. The laparoscope actually provides surgeons with a much more detailed view of the operative site for more precise work than is often available in an open procedure. Patients recover more quickly with minimally invasive surgery than with conventional surgery because of the small incisions. By eliminating the need for large incisions, patients experience significantly less pain than with open surgery, which requires large incisions. As a result, there is less need for post-surgical pain medication, less scarring, and quicker recovery and faster return to normal activities. Specialists from general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, urology, orthopaedics, and thoracic and vascular surgery all work together to offer a full spectrum of minimally invasive surgeries from gallbladder and hernia procedures to surgery of the spine, pancreas, colon, urinary and reproductive tracts and other organs. These specialists also collaborate to advance the use of laparoscopic technology in other procedures that now require traditional open surgery. | | | Adjusting equipment in the Minimally Invasive Surgery Suite |
| | Robotic radical prostatectomy |
| Although laparoscopic surgery is rapidly becoming a viable alternative to open surgery for many conditions, it may not be appropriate for everyone. There are times when the condition of the patient or the existence of other disorders makes open surgery a better choice. Patients should consult their primary care phsycian regarding the best course of action. The Minimally Invasive Interest Group includes a number of our faculty: Tina Desai, M.D., Vascular Surgery
Richard Fessler, M.D., Ph.D., Neurosurgery
Alessandro Fichera, M.D., General Surgery
Robert Harland, M.D., Transplantation
Vivek Prachand, M.D., General Surgery
Arieh Shalhav, M.D., Urology | | | Robot levers that the surgeon manipulates to direct the instruments in the operating field. |
| How does one learn these new procedures? Dr. Marcelo Orvieto, Postdoctoral Scholar in Urology, oversees a training program for Urology residents, using a laboratory in the Carlson Animal Facility. The training program includes CD instruction and then manual training to provide the feel of two and three-dimensional vision. The next step includes laboratory training on large animals, giving trainees experience with the insertion of instruments as well as techniques to prevent complications. Finally, they are given supervised experience with simples cases like nephrectomies and then more complicated cases. | | | Minimally invasive surgical training in the laboratory |
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