Endoscopic Surgery

• Keyhole or buttonhole surgery

  Laparoscopic Surgery – The Keyhole Magic

  Gone are the days when surgery meant a major operation with big cuts and stitches and a long hospital stay with prolonged rest and recovery time.

  With the advent of ‘Keyhole’ or ‘buttonhole’ surgery (Laparoscopy), many of the surgeries for women which required major cuts on the stomach are now done with 2-3 cuts of ½ to 1 cm each.

Fibroids are usually noncancerous solid tumors in the womb (uterus). These can cause heavy, irregular menses, pain, pressure, and heaviness of the lower abdomen in many cases. These tumors are very common and are seen even in young women. These fibroids, unfortunately, cannot be treated with medicines but have to be removed surgically if they are causing problems. Laparoscopic surgery by a laparoscopy doctor in Mumbai can remove even large fibroids with minimal cuts on the stomach wall. The entire surgery is done by watching the procedure on a television screen and operating with a camera in the abdomen. The large fibroids are made into small pieces using a special machine called the morcellator and so can be removed through a small opening.

Patients who are older and have fibroids or problems of heavy bleeding during periods or some other reason to remove the womb can also be treated by laparoscopic surgery by a laparoscopic surgeon in Mumbai. This procedure can remove the womb (uterus). The patient’s hospitalization is less, and recovery is very fast. Prolonged rest and absence from work are not needed.

Ovarian cysts are common and can occur in any age group. They may be simple cysts, endometriosis, or dermoid cysts where water, blood, or thick pus-like material can fill the ovary. These cysts are best treated by laparoscopic surgery.

Endometriosis is a major problem in young women where dark, thick blood accumulates in the ovary or around the womb and causes pain and often inability to conceive. It damages the tubes and ovaries and can cause the intestines to stick together. This problem can also be treated by keyhole surgery.

Infertility (inability to become pregnant) is on the rise, and often one of the necessary investigations is to put a camera through the belly button into the pelvis and check to see if the tubes are open and if the uterus and ovaries are normal. If any problem is detected, it can be treated at the same time.

Keyhole surgery is here to stay. More and more operations are now being done by this method though there is still a role for traditional open surgery in certain cases.