Less Pain, reduced recovery times, fewer scars, and a quicker return to work and life: Quad City patients facing surgery have better options than before. Minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures are revolutionizing surgery in the Quad Cities.
“Just about any surgery that used to be done with large incisions can now be considered for a laparoscopic approach,” says general and colorectal surgeon Dr. Douglas Khoury, Davenport Surgical Group, P.C., who also is Medical Director for Mississippi Valley Surgery Center.
“As new techniques are developed, patients are discovering there’s no reason to put off surgery, because these new minimally invasive techniques are getting people back to their normal activity and lifestyle sooner.” Mississippi Valley Surgery Center is the only facility in the area with state of the art High Definition scopes that provide the surgeons with optimal viewing of the surgical field.
The laparoscope is a small camera that allows a surgeon to visualize the structures within the abdomen and pelvis through a small incision. To make room for the surgeon’s tiny instruments, part of the abdomen is ‘insufflated’ or blown up like a balloon to raise the abdominal wall up above the internal organs. Instead of ordinary air, the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide, which is easily absorbed by the body and expelled while breathing.
New gallbladder technique: one incision instead of three
Dr. Khoury is one of a few surgeons in the state of Iowa as well as the Quad Cities who now performs a single incision laparoscopic gallbladder removal, instead of the traditional three or four incisions.
“Women often ask for minimal scars. I make a single incision directly through the base of the belly button, so the patient doesn’t have a scar on her upper abdomen. The incision is hidden, and I tell patients they can still wear their two piece bathing suit without anybody knowing they had the surgery.”
Ideal candidates for laparoscopic surgery:
- People with no prior major intra-abdominal operations.
- No large tumors or organs to be removed from the abdomen.
- Options: Gallbladder (cholecystectomy), appendix (appendectomy), operations for GERD (reflux), hernia repair, groin, kidney (nephrectomy), colon resection, spleen (splenectomy), and adrenal gland removal can all potentially be laparoscopic procedures.
Dr. Khoury says one of the greatest advantages to minimally invasive surgery includes a significant decrease in post-operative recovery time. “Recovery is often shorter by several weeks,” he explains. “And wound complications are also less following laparoscopic procedures.”
Dr. Khoury does perform some of these laparoscopic procedures at the Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, Davenport. Most patients go home the same day and get to recover in the comfort of their own home. “Now, anyone who needs an abdominal operation should look at the laparoscopic option because virtually any elective abdominal operation can be considered. Patients need to ask their doctor about the laparoscopic option,” he advises.
