Better Surgical Techniques
Laparoscopic Surgical Revolution
Reduced recovery times. Less scarring. Less pain medication. A quicker return to work and life. Minimally invasive procedures are revolutionizing surgery.
Patients no longer need dread surgical procedures. Many can now choose to go to surgeons who will operate using minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopy instead of the large, open incision techniques surgeons have employed throughout history. “Just about any surgery that used to be done with large incisions can now be done laparoscopically, or with smaller incisions,” says General Surgeon Robert Harson, M.D., Davenport Surgical Group, and Mississippi Valley Health Network member. “As new techniques are developed, patients are finding that there’s no reason to put off surgery, because these new minimally invasive techniques are getting people back home and to life quickly.”
“I encourage patients to ask for minimally invasive procedures, says General Surgeon Robert Harson, Davenport Surgical Group.”
— General Surgeon Robert Harson, Davenport Surgical Group.
Tiny incisions. Better surgical options.
Until recent years, slicing into patients to lay their bodies open for surgery was the only way surgeons could, for example, remove a diseased gall bladder. Many surgeons still use this approach. “Open surgery has a multitude of complications that we’re avoiding,” adds General Surgeon William Olson, M.D, Rock Island, IL. “Many hernias are actually caused by previous open surgeries. And the injury inflicted by a large, open incision requires medical attention itself.”
Surgeons like Drs. Olson and Harson perform a number of minimally invasive procedures laparoscopically including: laparoscopic hernia surgery, abdominal or groin hernia, laparoscopic colon surgery, and reflux surgery. Says Dr. Harson: “For example, in the past, to perform colon surgery for cancer, polyps or diverticulitis, you had to make a large incision the entire length of abdomen. But now for many colon surgeries, new smaller incisions for these operations are similar to an appendectomy than their open predecessors.”
Lap band surgery
Dr. Olson performs several laparoscopic procedures designed to treat obesity. The most common is lap band surgery. “Lap-Band System” is the brand name of the FDA-approved, adjustable gastric band used in the procedure. It is a silicone belt that goes around the top of the stomach. Because it shrinks the stomach space, patients feel full sooner, so they eat less and lose weight. Dr. Olson performs the procedure laparoscopically by rearranging the small intestine, bypassing part of it, and cutting the stomach pouch down to golf ballsize. Patients typically experience significant weight loss.
Both doctors agree that the greatest advantage to minimally invasive surgery is a significant decrease in post-operative complications. “Recovery is definitely shorter by several weeks,” explains Dr. Olson. “Scar tissue is reduced, making subsequent surgeries easier. And wound infections are rare in laparoscopic procedures.”
Both doctors perform these types of surgeries at the Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, Davenport, and patients are noticing the difference because they are home to recover quickly and away from the unnecessary risk of infection in a hospital setting. Along with the comforts of a home recovery, the smaller incisions ensure a faster recovery, the pain goes away more quickly, and the complications are fewer.
“Minimally invasive surgery is a philosophy that transcends our operations,” sums up Dr. Harson. “Keep the incisions small, no matter what. Dr. Olson did my appendectomy,” he adds. “The incision scar is no longer visible!”
