Why Laparoscopic Surgery Means Less Pain and Faster Recovery

During the last 50 years, surgical methods have undergone significant changes. Thanks to the development of computer chip cameras and fiberglass lighting techniques in the 1980s, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery has become the de facto norm for many operations. 

At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, our board-certified bariatric surgeons, Dexter Turnquest, MD, and Victoria C. Chang, MD, use laparoscopy for some types of weight loss surgeries and other abdominal surgeries. 

What is laparoscopic surgery? 

Perhaps you’ve seen medical TV shows that feature a surgeon slicing open a person’s midsection during an emergency procedure. Thankfully, many operations don’t require that kind of drastic incision, which increases the chances of postoperative infection and delayed healing. 

Laparoscopic surgery involves very small incisions. We insert a small, thin device called a laparoscope through a small incision in your skin. The laparoscope contains a tiny camera and a high-powered light. The images are magnified many times as they’re projected onto a computer monitor.  

Guided by the images on the monitor, we get a clear look at the problem area of your body to help form a diagnosis for conditions such as uterine fibroids or prostate cancer, if that’s what’s needed. 

At the same time, we perform repairs — for example, if your gallbladder needs to be removed or you need a hiatal hernia repair. 

Several weight loss surgeries use laparoscopy, including the lap band, laparoscopic gastric bypass, and gastric sleeve procedures. 

Why laparoscopy yields less pain and faster recovery

Surgeons today use minimally invasive laparoscopy when possible. Research shows patients recover faster than with traditional open surgery, which features larger incisions. 

Small incisions 

Laparoscopic incisions are between 0.5 cm - 1 cm on average. In other words, they’re tiny. Because the cuts are smaller, your body experiences less trauma and less tissue damage.

Less pain medication needed

With small incisions, you experience less pain than with larger cuts, so you don’t need as much pain medication after the surgery. 

Less blood loss

You lose less blood during laparoscopic surgery than with open surgery, minimizing the need for a blood transfusion. With less blood loss, you recover faster.

Less risk of infection

There’s less risk of infection with laparoscopic surgery because the incisions are so small. Your internal organs aren’t exposed to contaminants as they could be during open surgery. 

Faster recovery 

Because of the combination of all of these advantages, you have a faster recovery with laparoscopic surgery than with open surgery. You can resume your normal day-to-day life sooner. 

We can perform laparoscopic surgery on an outpatient basis in a surgical center rather than a hospital, lowering your medical costs. Sometimes you can go home the same day, so you have less chance of contracting an infection. 

For your general and bariatric surgery needs, call us at one of our two Houston, Texas, locations or request an appointment through our online portal today.