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In open surgery - the traditional way of performing an operation - surgeons make long cuts through skin, muscle and sometimes bone. Recovery from open surgery can be painful and slow. Some patients may not resume their normal routine for months.
Minimally invasive procedures are performed through one or more dime-sized incisions, with much less trauma to the body. The surgeon uses a tiny telescope-like instrument, a laparoscope connected to a tiny video camera with a light source that lets him or her see inside the body. Video monitors in the operating room show the inside of the patient's body. The surgeon repairs the problem by passing tiny surgical instruments through other small incisions. Because laparoscopic
is less invasive, the recovery time is quicker, there is less scarring, less blood loss, fewer complications and significantly less pain.
When the surgery begins, the physician makes a few small incisions in your abdomen and puts the instruments in place. Your surgeon sits at the console of a robotic surgery systerm, where her hand movements are translated into precise movements of the instruments. A high-definition, three-dimensional screen displays images of the surgical site.
Because the surgeries are minimally invasive, hospital stays are dramatically decreased. Some women may not have to stay at all, and some might have to stay one to two days. Ask your doctor about your situation.
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