Although the techniques vary, minimally invasive surgical procedures employ video cameras and lens systems to provide anatomic visualization within a region of the body.
Achieving such visualization requires the creation and maintenance of an optical cavity, most commonly created with carbon dioxide insufflation. Using short incisions in the skin, narrow tubes are inserted through the abdominal wall so that instruments can be slid through them to perform the maneuvers necessary for the operation. All this is viewed directly on a video monitor that receives its picture from a video camera attached to the laparoscope.
This minimally-invasive procedure has many advantages for patients, including:
- small incisions in the skin
- less pain associated with surgery
- reduced hospitalization time
- faster recovery
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