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Common Procedures and Treatments

Laparoscopic Colectomy

Brief description of advantages and benefits from the procedure

About conventional colon surgery

Each year, more and more surgical procedures are performed to treat a number of colon diseases. Traditionally this required a large abdominal incision, between 4 to 12 inches long. Patients undergoing this type of colon surgery often face a long and difficult recovery. These "open" procedures are highly invasive. Surgery results in an average hospital stay of a week or more and usually 6 weeks or more for recovery.

Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery

Laparoscopic techniques are finding uses in more and more surgical procedures with wider acceptance by patients, physicians and surgeons. The field is NOT standing still. Our interest as colorectal surgeons to offer our patients the latest advancements, both in surgical techniques and technology.

Minimally invasive surgery or laparoscopy has revolutionized abdominal surgery. Although mostly applied to patients with benign disease, minimally invasive surgery is now being used in patients with malignant disease as well. 

This section is intended to provide a general overview of a laparoscopic colon surgery. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Specific recommendations will vary among health care professionals. If you have a question about your need for a laparoscopic colon surgery, your alternatives or your surgeons training and experience, do not hesitate to ask your North Texas Colon and Rectal laparoscopic surgeon.

WHAT IS IT?

While watching an enlarged image of the patient's internal organs on a television monitor, this technique, allows surgeons to perform the most common colon procedures through small incisions, 1 cm for port placement and 1 ½ to 2 inches for specimen extraction. Depending on the type of procedure, patients may leave the hospital in a few days and return to normal activities more quickly than patients recovering from open surgery.

WHO CAN DO THE PROCEDURE?

Probably, the most important question to ask. Approximately 40 to 70% of colorectal surgeons have the training to do these procedures. This variability is mostly geographical. Even though those percentages are gradually improving, the learning curve is very steep and is technically challenging for the novice. Ask your doctor the number of procedures that he has done in this fashion.

ADVANTAGES OF LAPAROSCOPIC COLON RESECTION

Results may vary depending upon the type of procedure and patient's overall condition.

Common advantages are:
* Less postoperative pain
* Shorter hospital stay
* Faster return to solid-food diet 
* Quicker return of bowel function
* Quicker return to normal activity
* Improved cosmetic results

Although laparoscopic colon resection has many benefits, it may not be appropriate for some patients.

WHAT IF THE OPERATION CANNOT BE PERFORMED OR COMPLETED BY THE LAPAROSCOPIC METHOD?

Factors that may increase the possibility of choosing or converting to the "open" procedure may include:
* Obesity
* A history of prior abdominal surgery causing dense scar tissue
* Inability to visualize organs
* Bleeding problems during the operation
* Large tumors

The decision to perform the open procedure is a judgment decision made by your surgeon either before or during the actual operation. When the surgeon feels that it is safest to convert the laparoscopic procedure to an open one, this is not a complication, but rather sound surgical judgment. The decision to convert to an open procedure is strictly based on patient safety.

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