KEY HOLE SURGERY
'Key hole' or laparoscopic surgery is a form of minimally invasive treatment which has been around for several decades. It is much less invasive than conventional/traditional open surgery.
Its utilisation in surgery reduces the overall recovery period for the patient. In addition, the incision is significantly smaller and more cosmetically acceptable there is less pain, reduced blood loss and the hospital stay and period of convalescence is shorter. As a consequence, patients return to normal activities much faster.
In the early days keyhole surgery was practiced mostly by gynaecologists. But after some time, it became accepted by general surgeons for performing operations such as cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder) and now the technique is continuously being developed in more major general surgical procedures.
Urological surgeons, however, were slower to apply laparoscopic techniques. However, they have managed to 'catch' up quickly and have converted several open procedures into accepted laparoscopic operations some of which can be performed robotically. Some examples of this include:
1. Impalpable testis/es
2. Varicocoeles
3. Kidney operations (Nephrectomy/Pyeloplasty)
4. Urinary tract stone disease
5. Radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer
6. Adrenal surgery
The resulting scars from laparoscopic surgery as seen in the left hand photograph are much smaller and less painful than that of open surgery seen on the right hand side picture.