Laparoscopy is a type of minimally invasive surgery in which the patient is operated on through small incisions made in the abdominal cavity.
The idea of inspecting the abdomen or other cavities with a camera dates back to the early 20th century. However, technological limitations prevented its development until the end of that century. Prior to laparoscopy, many traditional urological surgical procedures required large incisions, lengthy hospital stays, and slow recovery.
Minimally invasive surgery, also known to patients as laparoscopic surgery, has recently developed in the field of urological surgery with the advancement of engineering and computer technologies.
The technique involves inserting a small telescope into the abdominal cavity and a set of long, thin surgical instruments through small skin incisions (most less than 1 cm long). With CO2 insufflation, a working space is created where the urologist can perform minimally invasive surgery for various benign and malignant urological conditions. When a robotic system is used to assist with surgical precision (such as the Da Vinci system), it is called robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, or robotic surgery.
The main advantages of this type of surgery, compared to traditional open surgery, are obtaining a surgical result equivalent to traditional open surgery, but with a significant reduction in postoperative pain, a shorter hospital stay, a faster recovery, and ultimately better aesthetic results.
The main drawback of this type of surgery is its highly specialized nature, requiring specific equipment and instruments, and a significant learning curve to develop three-dimensional (3D) hand-eye coordination and perform the often complex tasks involved. Therefore, before undergoing this procedure, it is crucial to carefully consider the experience of the surgeon who will be performing it. At ICUA, we have urologists with extensive experience in the field of urological laparoscopy.
Many patients have benefited from its use in urology, both for the treatment of benign and malignant or cancerous pathologies, located in the different parts of the urinary tract (kidney, ureter, bladder), reproductive system (prostate) and retroperitoneal (adrenal), pelvic and inguinal (lymph nodes) pathologies.
Recently, with the advent of robotic surgery, laparoscopic surgery appears to be losing ground. Robot-assisted surgery offers numerous advantages for the surgeon (such as improved visualization and surgical dexterity), resulting in significant benefits. However, laparoscopic surgery still has its place and utility in certain scenarios, such as radical nephrectomy, nephrouterectomy, adrenalectomy, and some cases of radical prostatectomy, with results equivalent to robotic surgery.
