Laparoscopy Less Pain, Quicker Recovery

By Paul MacKoul, MD, FACOG

Given the choice, anybody who needed surgery would choose laparoscopy minimally invasive surgery with tiny incisions over traditional open surgery.
Open surgery uses a large incision resulting in much more pain, and requires a three to four day hospital stay with a recovery time of six to eight weeks. In comparison, patients undergoing laparoscopy can leave the hospital the same day or following day.
The tiny incisions used during these procedures generally result in much faster recovery than open surgery and the results are equivalent.
Most patients have minimal pain, are able to get back on their feet the day following surgery and often are back to work within seven to ten days of the procedure.
Patients with uterine, cervical and ovarian cancer now have the option of undergoing laparoscopic surgery as part of their treatment. These procedures are as effective as open surgery, but the benefits for cancer patients are dramatic.
Early discharge home, decreased pain, rapid recovery and decreased complications associated with these procedures helps cancer patients regain their physical strength faster.
The ability to be home with family and friends and to get back into their daily routine shortly after surgery allows cancer patients to better cope psychologically with their illness.
Postoperative treatments such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy can begin almost immediately and patients can approach these treatments with a more positive attitude.
Gynecologic oncologists are specialists in the treatment of ovarian cancer and other gynecological malignancies.
The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, the National Ovarian Cancer Alliance, and other groups dedicated to the proper diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer have stated that the involvement of a gynecologic oncologist in the care of patients with ovarian cancer actually improves survival.
The full range of benign gynecological conditions also benefit from advanced laparoscopic surgery. Pelvic pain and endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and hysterectomies can all be treated by laparoscopic surgery.