What does minimally invasive surgery actually mean?
In this procedure, special instruments (trocars) and a camera are inserted into the abdominal cavity through several small incisions (between 5 and 12 mm) under general anaesthetic. The abdominal cavity is first inflated like a balloon with CO2 gas (harmless to the organism) to make room for a better view.
Current studies: What are the advantages of minimally invasive surgery?
Interestingly, the removal of the colon cancer can be much more precise and radical by using minimally invasive procedures, since we can look at the operated intestinal section with the camera from different angles and with a high magnification (magnifying glass function) on the other hand. This significantly greater precision in the hands of an experienced surgeon has been proven in several national and international scientific studies.
It could also be shown that patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery were able to achieve significantly less pain, fewer postoperative complications of the respiratory tract, a faster restoration of intestinal function and, above all, longer long-term survival. This also results in an earlier discharge into the home environment.
What is the preparation for an intestinal operation like?
The preparation for the operation (information on the operation, blood collection, presentation in the anaesthesia department) can generally be done on an outpatient basis. You will then be admitted to the planned ward one day before the operation (usually at noon) and receive a gentle intestinal preparation (liquid to be drunk with an antibiotic) for intestinal cleansing.
What is the phase after the operation?
Due to the gentle surgical procedure, you are usually able to go to the toilet on the day of the operation. For early mobilisation, we do not use catheters and wound drains whenever possible. Also the diet starts a few hours after the operation with drinks and liquid food. To protect our patients, we create artificial intestinal outlets (stoma) almost exclusively for deep diseases of the rectum (rectal carcinoma). These can often be repositioned after a healing period of a few weeks. You can find more information here.
Usually you will be discharged within one week after the operation.