is the Greek word for womb, or uterus.) This type of surgery can be used to remove abnormal growths in the uterus, or to do a number of different procedures on the uterus and vagina.
Arthroscopes are used inside joints for "arthroscopic surgery. " ( "Arthron " is the Greek word for joint.) This type of surgery can be used to repair or replace joints in the knee, shoulder, and hip.Endoscopes go down your throat and into the esophagus, stomach, or intestines (figure 2). Sometimes these scopes are used for surgery. Other times they're used just to inspect those body parts. ( "Endo " is the Greek root for inside or within.)Colonoscopes go up your rectum and into the large intestine, or colon. They are similar to endoscopes (figure 3).
How is minimally invasive surgery different from regular surgery? " In general " not always " this type of surgery makes recovery easier. That's because:
- It usually involves several small wounds, rather than one big one
- The inside of the body does not get as exposed to open air as it would with regular surgery
- The organs don't get moved around as much
Despite all of the differences with regular surgery, minimally invasive surgery is still surgery. People who have it do have some pain, they do often need stitches, and they can develop infections or other problems because of the surgery.
Can patients always choose to have minimally invasive surgery? " No. Many procedures can now be done through a minimally invasive approach. But it's not always up to the patient to choose what type of surgery to have. Whether or not a patient can have this type of surgery will depend on:
- Whether there is a surgeon available who has enough experience doing the type of surgery the patient needs
- Why the patient needs surgery. (As an example, patients who need surgery to remove very large cancers cannot always have minimally invasive procedures.)
- What other health problems the patient might have
Even when a patient starts out having minimally invasive surgery, there's no guarantee that the surgery will stay that way. Sometimes surgeons start out doing minimally invasive surgery and then realize that they need to switch to open surgery. This doesn't mean the surgeon has done anything wrong; it's just something that happens sometimes after a surgery gets started.
If you go in for minimally invasive surgery, be prepared to wake up and find out that you had open surgery. This could happen for a few different reasons, such as:
- The surgeon found something unexpected when he or she got started
- The surgeon couldn't see well enough or properly treat the organ he or she was trying to operate on
- Bleeding occurred that could not be controlled with a minimally invasive approach
The important thing to remember is that if a surgeon switches to regular surgery, it is usually to protect the safety of the patient.
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete.
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014.
Topic 16245 Version 6.0
Release: 22.8 - C22.206
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figure 1
Minimally invasive surgery
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Minimally invasive surgery
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figure 2
Upper endoscopy
During an upper endoscopy, you lie down and the doctor puts a thin tube with a camera and light on the end (called an endoscope) into your mouth and down into your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (the first part of your small intestine). The camera sends video pictures from inside your body to a television screen. That way, your doctor can see the inside of your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.
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Upper endoscopy
During an upper endoscopy, you lie down and the doctor puts a thin tube with a camera and light on the end (called an endoscope) into your mouth and down into your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (the first part of your small intestine). The camera sends video pictures from inside your body to a television screen. That way, your doctor can see the inside of your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum.
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figure 3
Colonoscopy
During a colonoscopy, you lie on your side and the doctor or nurse puts a thin tube with a camera into your anus (from behind). Then the doctor or nurse advances the tube into the rectum and colon. The camera sends video pictures from inside your colon to a television screen.
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Colonoscopy
During a colonoscopy, you lie on your side and the doctor or nurse puts a thin tube with a camera into your anus (from behind). Then the doctor or nurse advances the tube into the rectum and colon. The camera sends video pictures from inside your colon to a television screen.
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