Advantages of the minimally invasive surgical method

The advantages of minimally invasive surgical techniques have now been scientifically researched. The following plus points are considered to be a gain over open surgery: It should be noted, however, that this is a very general assertion and loses its validity in many individual cases. Furthermore, it should be noted that the minimally invasive approach has not made operations less complicated or less costly.

A partial removal of the colon is still a very stressful procedure for the patient. The minimally invasive surgery only reduces the additional stress caused by the previously necessary abdominal incision.

Smaller skin incisions
Fewer adhesions
Reduced risk of scarring fractures
Less pain
Faster recovery and faster resumption of work and sports activities
Shorter hospital stay
Cosmetically excellent results (smallest, hardly visible scars)
Video and image documentation of operations possible
Improved visibility for the surgeons, especially in otherwise difficult to access surgical areas, e.g. rectal operations

As with all other methods, MIC surgical methods are also subject to technical limitations.

On the one hand, these limits are due to the instruments currently available and on the other hand to the fact that the anatomical orientation on the screen is two-dimensional. In most cases, the surgeon lacks the direct sense of touch. Patients must therefore be aware of the fact that unforeseeable complications and/or other peculiarities make it necessary to switch to the open surgical method for every procedure.

Since this is usually done under the same anaesthesia, all patients are informed before the operation about the possible consequences and implications that may result from the operation. In addition to the surgical changeover, the specific positioning of some minimally invasive procedures (e.g. rectal surgery) poses an additional risk, especially for people with heart disease. The surgical risk is higher for some “minimally invasive” operations than for the open procedure.

For example, the closure of an inguinal hernia via laparoscopy has proven to be more risky than open surgery. For this reason, this operation has recently shown a backward tendency towards open surgical procedures. Besides the limitations, the disadvantages of minimally invasive surgery should also be mentioned.

These operations cannot be performed under local anesthesia and require anesthesia. The costs of the operations are higher than those of the conventional surgical procedures, because the technical effort is very high. However, this is partly compensated by the overall shorter length of stay in hospital.