Laparoscopic Surgury

The Saint Vincent Cancer Care Center uses the most advanced, minimally invasive procedures whenever possible in order to reduce pain and risk of infection as well as to speed recovery. The following laparoscopic procedures are available at Saint Vincent:

Laparoscopic Colon Resection
Laparoscopic colon resection is performed by a colorectal surgeon or a general surgeon with extensive training in the technique. The laparoscopic approach makes use of up to six small (1-2 cm) incisions to accommodate a telescopic lens with attached camera and various grasping and dissection instruments. The colon is immobilized and resection is accomplished by visualization through the laparoscope. When the resected colon is ready to be removed, one of the small incisions is extended to “bring out” the resected colon.

Hand-assisted Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy is an innovative procedure that allows surgeons to remove the cancerous kidneys through a tiny incision. While kidney removal previously required a 12- to 18-inch incision, this new procedure performed at the Saint Vincent Cancer Care Center minimizes the incision size as well as pain and the risk of complications. The required hospital stay is also reduced by this new procedure from five to seven days to as little as two. With this procedure, patients can resume normal activities within one to two weeks. This hand-assisted procedure enables the surgeon to feel and manipulate the cancerous kidney and surrounding tissue, resulting in a thorough surgical intervention with the benefits of minimal incision size and internal organ exposure.

Thoracoscopy
A thoracoscopy, or pleuroscopy, is a procedure used to assess lung cancer. During the procedure a surgeon inserts an endoscope through two or three small incisions in the chest wall to view the chest cavity and the lungs. The procedure allows the surgeon to view any suspicious tissue and take samples. The procedure takes between two and four hours. Performing a thoracoscopy instead of an invasive surgical lung biopsy reduces complications, pain, hospital stay, and recovery time.

Laparoscopic Procedure Benefits:
• Minimally invasive
• Reduced risk of infection
• Minimized or eliminated ICU stay
• Shorter overall length of stay
• Faster recovery
• Less post-operative pain