Minimally invasive surgery, also known as laparoscopic surgery, is an innovative procedure where the surgeon makes several small incisions instead of one long incision. Our physicians use tiny surgical instruments that are inserted through the openings, and the anatomy is viewed through a laparoscope, which functions like a small camera.
The benefits of this less-invasive approach are:
- Less pain following the operation
- Faster return to regular diet
- Shorter hospital stay
- Shorter recovery period, resulting in quicker return to work and to normal functioning
- Very small scars
- Decreased blood loss, leading to fewer blood transfusions during the procedure
- Reduced chance of postoperative complications, such as pneumonia, blood clots and wound infection
Our newest innovation in this area is robotic surgery, which takes minimally invasive surgery to the next level of care. With robotic surgery, a surgeon sits at a computer console, while a robotic arm seamlessly translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements into corresponding movements of the instrument tips. The Medical Center was the first hospital in Brooklyn to use this technology, utilizing a system called the da Vinci Surgical system.
Conditions Treated Using Minimally Invasive Techniques:
- appendicitis
- bowel obstruction
- Crohn’s disease
- diverticulitis
- gallstones
- gastro-esopahageal reflux disease
- hernias
- inflammatory bowel disease
- intestinal disorders
- morbid obesity surgery
- peptic ulcer disease
- tumors
- ulcerative colitis