Understanding the Different Types of Minimally Invasive Surgery
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- Understanding the Different Types of Minimally Invasive Surgery
No one looks forward to surgery. But sometimes, it’s necessary to treat injury, manage disease, and lower the risk of complications.
Traditional surgical methods, or open surgery, often mean large incisions and long, painful recoveries. These days, advancements in surgical technology mean that surgery is more effective and less invasive than ever before.
As elite surgeons, The North Texas Surgical Specialists team specializes in minimally invasive surgical procedures. They regularly perform laparoscopy and da Vinci® robotic surgery at one of our 16 locations throughout North Texas to treat a range of common conditions.
If you’ve been told you need surgery, here’s what you need to know about your minimally invasive options.
We specialize in the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques: laparoscopy and robotic surgery. Both of these methods utilize very small incisions and specialized tools, but there are a few key differences you should know.
Laparoscopic surgery involves using a slender tool with a tiny camera to view your surgery site without making a large incision.
When performing laparoscopy, our surgeons make a small incision and insert the fiber-optic camera into your body. The camera projects images onto a screen in the operating room. We guide small surgical instruments through one or more incisions and perform the procedure based on what we see on-screen.
Some common laparoscopic procedures are hernia repair, gallbladder removal, and other abdominal surgeries.
During robotic surgery, our surgeons perform procedures with the da Vinci® surgical system. Robotic surgery uses very small incisions like laparoscopy, but the difference is that it relies on robotic arms instead of human hands to hold the surgical instruments.
The surgeon views your surgery site on a screen and controls precise robotic arms through the surgical system’s console. The console is located in the operating room, and the surgeon has complete control over the procedure.
Robotic surgery can be used for procedures like hernia repair, appendicitis, colon disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
If you need surgery to treat an existing health condition, a minimally invasive procedure may be a good option for you. Our Surgeons generally recommend minimally invasive surgery, like laparoscopy and robotic surgery, whenever possible.
Both laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery offer several benefits. These methods are more precise than traditional open surgery, and they cause significantly less trauma to the body.
The benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:
Minimally invasive methods allow our surgeons to repair and treat common conditions without long recovery times or unnecessary complications. To find out which method of minimally invasive surgery is right for you, schedule a consultation with our team.