Medical advancements: Doctors count benefits of minimal invasive procedures

Laparoscopy is minimally invasive, cost-effective and scar-free, say the surgeons.

KARACHI: Medical experts have underscored the need to adopt the minimal invasive surgical procedure, called ‘laparoscopy’, in hospitals across the country.

At the first day of the three-day conference, titled ‘Minimal Invasive Surgery’, several prominent surgeons, including Dr Shamim Khan, Dr Mateen Sharif and Dr Faiz Mumtaz, Dr Tariq Tasaduq and Dr Saeed Akhtar, spoke about the benefits of the procedure over conventional methods. A pioneer in laparoscopic surgery, Dr Mumtaz Maher, and Dr Zafar Zaidi also related their experiences at the conference.



The speakers explained the salient features of the procedure, which involves making several tiny incisions instead of a large opening. As a result, the procedure is cost-effective and scar-free. It is because of these reasons that the procedure is being adopted by hospitals in developed countries.

SIUT director Prof Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi emphasised the importance of this technological advancement in surgical sciences, particularly in the field of urology. He explained that the workshop was part of the SIUT’s plan to promote medical knowledge and technology in the country.

Dr Bux Ali gave a brief overview of the procedure to the audience. He explained that a long, thin tube with a miniature camera at the end, called an endoscope, is passed through one of the incisions. Images from the endoscope are projected onto monitors in the operating room so surgeons can get a clear and magnified view of the surgical area. Special instruments are passed through the other openings. These instruments allow the surgeon to perform the surgery by exploring, removing, or repairing the faulty tissue.

In some cases, a patient may be scheduled for a minimally invasive procedure, but after getting a view inside the body, the surgeon might have to convert the procedure to an open [conventional] surgery. This may be because the problem or the anatomy is different from what the surgeon expected.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2014.