Benefits of Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopic surgery, which also may be referred to as endoscopic surgery, is one of the fastest-growing areas in surgical medicine.

Instead of making large cuts to expose the area being treated, the surgeon makes small incisions, through which he or she inserts long, narrow surgical instruments and a tiny video camera into the body. The camera shows an image of the surgical site on a video screen, which the surgeon monitors while performing the procedure.

The major advantage with minimally invasive gynecologic surgery is that the surgeon doesn't have to cut through as much healthy tissue and muscle. Generally, incisions in minimally invasive surgery are only one-half to three-quarters of an inch long - much shorter than the six to eight inches with "open" surgery. The camera, maneuvered through a small incision, allows the physician to view the equipment's internal position and movements on a TV monitor.

As a result, many women who undergo laparoscopic gynecologic surgery experience less pain, shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, shorter recovery times and smaller scars.

Compare the Benefits of Laparoscopic Gynecologic Surgery

	Laparoscopic Surgery	Open Surgery
Incision:	1/2 inch	15 inches
Pain:	minimal	moderate to severe
Hospital Stay:	one overnight	three to five days
Recovery Time:	one week	six to eight weeks
Chemotherapy:	one week post-surgery	two to four weeks post-surgery

 

Holy Cross Hospital also offers da Vinci robotic surgery for gynecologic conditions.

Holy Cross Hospital encourages everyone to get multiple opinions before making a decision about any procedure.