Laparoscopic Colon Surgery and its benefits

Colon surgery is performed all across the world to treat diseases such as colonic polyps, tumors, hemorrhage and ulcerative colitis. The traditional open surgery options left people with significant incision scars, a week’s hospital stay and a long recovery period of about six weeks to allow the dissected abdominal muscles to heal.

However, with the advancement in medical science and the birth of laparoscopic colon surgery, open abdominal surgery is now quite nearly a thing of the past. The advantages of this surgery over traditional colon surgery is that it requires a shorter hospital stay and recovery period, there is less postoperative pain and significantly smaller scars (compared to one extremely long), and most patients can quickly return to normal activities as colon functions tend to normalize faster.

The procedure

During laparoscopic colon surgery, the surgeon makes four to five half inch long incisions wherein one a laparoscope is inserted. A telescopic video camera in the laparoscope makes it possible for the surgeon to see the inside of the abdomen. Instruments used for removing the diseased part of the bowel and to reattach the healthy parts are inserted into the other incisions. The surgery usually takes approximately 2-3 hours, quick when compared to the much more time-consuming task of suturing a patient after an open abdominal surgery.

Risks and complications

The risks and complications associated with laparoscopic colon surgery are similar to the risks and complications associated with traditional, open colon surgery; however, at a much lower percentage. There is a risk of some bleeding or infection, the possibility of a leak occurring at the reanastimosis (colon-to-colon suture site), blood clots forming in the lungs and possible injury occurring to nearby organs such as the ureter or small intestine.

The right candidates for laparoscopic colon surgery include patients with localized, known disease which is easily accessible during the procedure. One must always consider the possibility of any laparoscopic procedure ultimately ending in an open abdominal surgery should initial findings demonstrate the need. Other factors which may disqualify the patient for laparoscopic surgery include extreme morbid obesity, a history of previous open abdominal surgeries, inaccessibility of the surgical site, extensive disease, and disseminated cancer. However, laparoscopic surgery is strongly indicated in elderly or enfeebled patients, as the overall stress and risk factors are greatly reduced.

Choosing the right surgeo

A surgeon who performs traditional colon surgery is not always enough. Use of laparoscopic surgical equipment requires specialization and additional training, so check the credentials of your surgeon before consenting to surgery. Investigate his success-to-failure rate. Contact the medical association (American Medical Association in the USA) or similar regulating body of your nation and locality (organized by county in the USA) to determine if they have any complaints registered against them. A wide variety of sources to gain further information can be found on the Internet, such as vitals.com or healthgrade.com. Be wary of physicians who change localities or business associations frequently or those who attended medical schools of questionable quality.

Choose an experienced and efficient surgeon certified to perform the procedure. Credentials which speak a surgeons expertise include FACS (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons) and FACCRS (Fellow of the American College of Colorectal Surgeons), each of which requires extensive additional training at approved surgical facilities, recommendation by other Fellows, and approval and invitation of the administrative board of the organization.