Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopic surgery - also called minimally invasive surgery (MIS), bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery - is a modern surgical technique. This is achieved with the assistance of several thin instruments and a video camera. Small incisions in the abdomen or pelvic area are made and plastic tubes - called ports - are placed through these incisions. The camera transmits an image of the organs inside the abdomen or pelvic area onto a television monitor. The video camera becomes the surgeon’s eyes in laparoscopic surgery, because the surgeon uses the image from the video camera positioned inside the patient’s body to perform the procedure.
Laparoscopy can often mean a faster recovery from surgery, less time in the hospital or outpatient surgery centre, and less trauma to the body. The advantage is that it is no longer necessary to slice through large abdominal muscles to reach vital organs.
Dr. Marr uses the laparoscope diagnostically to find problems such as cysts, cancer, adhesions and infections, by taking tissue samples for biopsy through the tube. He also uses it therapeutically for many procedures such as removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) and appendix (appendectomy), repair of various hernias and in weight loss (gastric bypass) surgery.