As time went on, tissues could be damaged less and patients recovered sooner from closed-procedure surgeries than they had from open procedures; examples include minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

A surgeon performing MIS can make operations through incisions just a little more than half an inch, and this is shown to greatly reduce the amount of pain, blood loss and complications during the surgery.

What Is Minimally Invasive Surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery refers to any surgical procedure that does not involve large cuts, or incisions, to operate. Minimally invasive techniques help to reduce your risk of complications and to improve recovery times as compared with traditional open surgeries (also called traditional or open surgery).

Surgeons use them to access a patient’s body in ‘minimally invasive’ procedures, where bones, muscles and skin do not have to be cut apart to get to the destination of the tool – or sometimes the tool is delivered to its destination through an opening that already exists in the patient, such as a stoma or existing cut. Incisions can be as small as half an inch when such techniques are used.

Laparoscopy and endoscopy (performing a procedure inside your body with a skinny scope) are probably the most common of the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques – among the procedures your surgeon will likely advise if you qualify for MIS surgery are gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy), appendix removal, treatment of spinal stenosis, hernia repairs – are performed with an endoscope.

What Are the Benefits of Minimally Invasive Surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery cuts down on the trauma your body experiences and makes recovery faster. With this surgery, the surgeon typically makes a few (frequently under 1/2 inch) tiny incisions using slender tubes with cameras and lights – your surgeon watches on a screen as the magnified images of the surgical site appear as your surgeon is performing your procedure.

These instruments – little plastic tubes – go down the incisions so small that Dr Kriza doesn’t have to cut through the thick skin and muscle before he operates. You have less pain and fewer complications and scars after surgery.

Unlike with open surgery, which typically requires you to stay in hospital for three or four days post-operation, most MIS operations can be performed on an outpatient basis – you can usually return home the same or next morning after your surgery. This results in faster healing times so that you can quickly get back to your normal daily life.

What Are the Risks of Minimally Invasive Surgery?

While minimally invasive surgery is less painful and offers shorter hospital stays and fewer complications than open surgery, all surgery has risks involved, so be sure to discuss your procedure with your healthcare provider before you begin.

Minimally invasive surgical procedures involve entering an operating site through smaller incisions than open surgery does, which holds the promise of reducing the risk of infection and decreasing recovery time as well.

Laparoscopy is a type of surgery where the surgeon looks through small tubes that have tiny cameras and tools that can fit through tiny incisions on your belly, sometimes pumping carbon dioxide gas in to inflate your belly so they can line up better to see where they are operating. Although laparoscopy can help a lot of patients, for some it can cause heart and lung issues – probably not everybody.

Because minimally invasive spine surgery can be less painful than open spinal procedures, and requires less physical therapy over the long term, minimally invasive techniques have become the favoured surgical approach to treating herniated discs and other conditions of the spine.

How Can I Find a Surgeon Who Performs Minimally Invasive Surgery?

For surgery that used to be done through open methods, advanced surgical techniques now let patients undergo less painful and quicker recovery operations through minimally invasive methods.

in the case of traditional surgery, your surgeon would cut a big incision to get into the part of your body they need to reach, and in the case of minimally invasive procedures they’ll poke multiple small incisions in your body and then send in tools, lights and cameras using these tiny wounds and long thin instruments.

Your surgeon will be able to use these perforations to see and operate on your organs and surgical site, helping him/her be more fastidious in operating on you, spending less time in hospital and having fewer complications in your recovery process. You will recover much faster while spending much less time there and having few complications because the procedure happened.

Skilled in minimally invasive surgery approaches, Dignity Health surgeons strive to reduce post-op surgical pain as well as your need for medication – both of which allow you to begin healing and resuming your everyday activities sooner. If this type of surgery might be right for you, speak to your doctor today.