Minimal Surgery for Maximum Care
Performing surgery with the smallest incisions possible has become one of the biggest goals in health care today. New minimally invasive techniques, advanced technology and improved anesthesia have led to an increase in outpatient surgery, which is a staple at Excela Health hospitals. As a result, patients can often go home a few hours after a procedure — instead of staying in the hospital for days.
Physicians can perform minimally invasive surgery on a
wide range of illnesses. Patients can expect benefits such
as a shorter hospital stay, smaller scars, less bleeding
and pain, fewer infections and a shorter recovery time.
Advanced endoscopy, radio frequency, imaging
techniques and lasers are behind these great advancements
in surgery.
Getting a Better Look
An endoscope includes a video camera mounted on a tube that is inserted in the body through a small incision. Surgeons can add an ultrasound or other small instrument to improve precision.An arthroscope allows orthopedic surgeons to treat joint problems in the shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle. Surgeons use specialized surgical instruments and a fiber-optic system to look into the joint. Surgeons also can remove a herniated disc, replace hips and treat early joint arthritis.
Avoiding Major Surgery
Interventional radiologists at Excela Health perform a number of minimally invasive procedures, in some cases allowing patients to avoid major surgery.“We can perform radio-frequency ablations for cancers in the liver, kidneys and lung,” noted Todd Hrbek, MD, Excela Health interventional radiologist. “While this procedure isn’t for everyone, the patient often can return home the next day.”
Dr. Hrbek and fellow interventional radiologist Anthony Daniele, MD, also use other minimally invasive techniques, such as uterine artery embolization as an alternative to hysterectomy, endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) for varicose veins and vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty for fractured vertebrae.
“We often work with other physician specialists, such as obstetricians/gynecologists and surgeons, to the patient’s ultimate benefit,” explained Dr. Hrbek. “These procedures are complex, but they allow for a quicker recovery and, in some cases, a better outcome over the long term.”
When it comes to heart surgery, surgeons are using endoscopes to perform coronary artery bypass grafts and valve replacements using a keyhole approach, which allows for incisions less than half an inch in length between the ribs. And these minimally invasive cardiac procedures are as safe as standard procedures, according to Mark M. Suzuki, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Excela Health.
“When considering these procedures, we look at the complexity of the disease and the patient’s overall health,” Dr. Suzuki observed. “For those who qualify for minimally invasive cardiac procedures, regular activity can be resumed within a month.”
Vascular surgery, too, has much to offer by way of minimally invasive procedures.
“We can perform endovascular aneurysm repair by placing a graft through smaller incisions in the groin,” said John J. Ambrosino, MD. “Sicker people, who typically can’t tolerate surgery, can have those aneurysms repaired, quickly returning to a more active life.” Dr. Ambrosino noted other minimally invasive procedures performed at Excela Health, including stenting, angioplasty, arthrectomy of the peripheral arteries for occlusive disease and, in 2007, carotid stenting.
Zapping It Away
The field of eye surgery has forever changed, thanks to both radio frequency and lasers. Conductive keratoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure in which a controlled release of radio-frequency energy reshapes the cornea to correct farsightedness.Lasers are used to care for skin diseases, the benign enlargement of the prostate and brain tumors. Doctors are studying whether microwave thermotherapy — heat — can be just as effective in treating prostate disease as traditional surgery, with far fewer side effects.
