Advantages

Laparoscopy offers many advantages. On the one hand there is the cosmetic advantage. Instead of a large scar over the abdomen, thanks to laparoscopy there are only 3 or 4 small scars.

In addition to the cosmetic advantage, the small incisions also reduce the risk of infection postoperatively. In addition, laparoscopy is much gentler on the patient compared to open surgery, which has the positive side effect that patients do not have to stay in hospital for long after the operation, but can return home within 3-4 days and can fully recover after only a few weeks. But laparoscopy does not only offer economic advantages. Through video recordings, certain sections can be enlarged and even the smallest angles can be made visible and any adhesions and the like removed. For the patient, there is also the advantage that the patient can eat normally again more quickly, and the patient usually has less pain.

Disadvantages

But laparoscopy does not only offer advantages. A disadvantage of laparoscopy is that the surgeon cannot spontaneously expand the surgical field when the need arises. On the other hand, the surgeon loses one of his most important tools, namely his sense of touch.

Moreover, as with any other operation, other organs, vessels or nerves can be injured. In addition, general anesthesia, as with all other operations, can also lead to certain side effects, including intolerance. The inflation of the abdomen after the operation can also lead to an inflated abdomen, occasionally to pain or discomfort and even nausea. Although the risk of bleeding, thrombosis or wound infection is quite low, such side effects can occur. All in all, however, the advantages of laparoscopy outweigh the risks.

Complications of laparoscopy

Compared to open abdominal surgery, laparoscopy is a low-risk procedure. Nevertheless, this procedure also carries risks and complications can occur. Initially, the risks are the same as for other operations: the special complications can arise during the insertion of trocars.

This is done without sight, therefore vessels and organs in the abdominal cavity can be injured. However, this happens very rarely, as the surgeons proceed with caution. It may become necessary to enlarge the abdominal incisions or to change the procedure and open the abdominal cavity through a large incision.

In addition, the abdominal cavity may already have adhesions before the procedure, due to previous operations, such as a caesarean section, or they may arise as a result of this procedure. Adhesions in the abdominal cavity can also be painful.Handling the instruments during this procedure requires a great deal of experience, so the above-mentioned injuries to vessels, nerves and abdominal organs may occur. In addition, pressure damage could be caused by storage during the operation or by the instruments. Overall, however, it can be said that the risk of complications is lower during laparoscopic surgery than during open surgery.

Blood clots (thrombosis, embolism, stroke, heart attack)
Infections
Bleeding
Injuries of vessels
Injuries to nerves and surrounding tissues and organs
As well as the scarring.