Innovative Device and Surgery Combine Best Elements Of Laparoscopic and Traditional Open Surgery
An innovative surgical device called the LAP DISC, used in hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS), is making colon surgery easier on patients, allowing them to leave the hospital sooner and return to work or normal activity more quickly than with traditional open surgery.
Patients who would normally be in the hospital for at least a week after traditional open surgery are leaving in a few days, experiencing less pain, and returning to normal activity in about a week rather than six to eight weeks. In addition, the surgical incisions used in HALS are about one fourth the size of those used in traditional surgery.
“Patients and their doctors can now have the best of both worlds,” said Dr. Braswell of Medical West. “The surgeon’s hand is one of the best surgical instruments we have, but pure laparoscopic surgery does not allow us to use it inside the body. Now we can, bringing the benefits of minimally invasive colon surgery to patients for whom traditional open surgery was previously the only option.”
The LAP DISC, a ringlike device, allows a surgeon to insert his hand inside the body through an incision no larger than his glove size (usually three to four inches), to help guide laparoscopic instruments, including a miniature camera. Two additional smaller incisions are made for laparoscopic instruments, which the surgeon guides with his other hand from outside the body.
The LAP DISC gives the surgeon the feel, maneuverability and hand assistance he gets in open surgery, but without the 16-inch-long incision in the abdomen that is typically required in traditional colon surgery.
According to the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), the development of polyps, mushroom-shaped growths, is one of the most common conditions affecting the colon and rectum, occurring in 15 to 20 percent of adults. About 90 percent of colon and rectal cancers occur from polyps that are initially noncancerous, so doctors generally recommend that they be removed.
“If faced with colon disease, patients should ask their doctors about less invasive procedures, like HALS to see if it might be appropriate for them,” said Dr. Braswell.
In the U.S., the LAP DISC can be used in colorectal, general surgical and urology procedures including removal of the kidney and spleen and live-donor kidney transplants.
As with any surgical procedure, HALS may present risks. Patients should consult with their doctors to determine if this surgery is appropriate for them.
The physicians of Surgery South are currently performing this procedure at Medical West. To schedule an appointment please call 996-WEST.