New surgical techniques mean shorter stays, quicker recovery

Surgery: The word can make anyone a little nervous. Along with worries about the procedure itself, you may be concerned about missing work or spending time away from your family as you recover.

But knowing that a procedure can now be done more safely and quickly- and that you’ll have a speedier recovery - can help put your mind at ease.

That’s the case with minimally invasive surgery, which these days can be used to perform dozens of different operations throughout the body.

While minimally invasive procedures aren’t for everyone or every situation, we encourage each patient to discuss the best course of treatment with his or her physician. The type of surgery you are requiring will also determine the type of surgeon you need.  For physician referral, call 877-8800.

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Continuing reading for more information on minimally invasive surgery

Smaller Incisions, faster recovery
“Minimally invasive” means incisions are kept very small and that there is little trauma to muscle and other tissues during the operation,” says Rosanne Tombrello, Brookwood Medical Center’s perioperative clinical educator. “There’s less pain during recovery and healing is quicker.”
In some procedures, a person can go home the same day or the next day after surgery. And, in many cases, people can return to work and other activities within a week or two.

It’s a big difference from the no-so-distant past when surgery often meant a large incision, several days in the hospital and several weeks of recovery.

The power of the scope
Years ago, large incisions were needed for many surgeries so that surgeons could reach—and see—the areas being treated. But today, nearly every part of the body is reachable using endoscopes.

These long, narrow tube devices can be inserted into the body through small incisions or through a natural opening such as the mouth or nose.

The tube includes a light and sometimes a miniature camera. A surgeon can look directly through the scope or at images transmitted to a video screen.

Small surgical instruments also can be passed through the endoscope or through additional small incisions, eliminating the need for large incisions and the cutting of surrounding tissue.

“A lot of people pay attention to the fact that there’s a smaller incision than in traditional, open surgery,” says Kenneth Bramlett, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Brookwood. “And that’s a cosmetic advantage—there’s a smaller scar. “But what really makes the difference is that there’s less cutting because the scope and the instruments can go exactly where we need them. We don’t need to do as much cutting of surrounding muscle and tissue under the skin. That’s why recovery is so much faster.”

Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Many of the more than 30,000 surgical procedures performed at Brookwood each year are done using minimally invasive techniques.

“There’s a wide range of surgeries that can be done this way,” Tombrello says. “It runs the gamut from gallbladder removal; sinus surgery; treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome; removal of the kidneys or appendix or thyroid; hernia repairs; and surgery in the knees, hips, shoulders and other joints.”

Minimally invasive techniques also can be used to complete a heart bypass or remove suspicious polyps from the intestinal tract.

The endoscopes used during these different procedures have different names. For example, those used in the abdomen are called laparoscopes, while bronchoscopes are used in the lungs, colonoscopes in the colon, and arthroscopes in the joints.

A new world
Comparing traditional surgery with those performed with minimally invasive techniques shows how much things have improved over the years.

For example, conventional gall bladder removal requires a 4- to 6-inch-long incision, a four - to seven -day hospital stay and four to eight weeks of recovery at home.

The minimally invasive version of procedure uses four very small incisions that are barely noticeable after healing. People are usually home within 24 hours and can return to work within a week to 10 days.

Knee replacement surgery is another good example, Dr. Bramlett says. A traditional knee replacement surgery takes about two hours, while one done minimally invasively can be done in around 25 minutes.

The incisions required in the traditional surgery are 10 inches long while they are only 3 or 4 inches in minimally invasive surgery.

And while a person receiving conventional knee replacement usually spends five to seven days in the hospital and several weeks recovering at home, those receiving minimally invasive surgery usually leave the hospital in under 48 hours and are back to work and other activities within two to four weeks.

“Minimally invasive procedures are also used in caring for both benign and malignant breast disease, “says Michael Littleton, M.D., a general surgeon at Brookwood. “At some point in their lifetime, many women will have an abnormal mammogram which warrants a biopsy. Many biopsies can be performed with mammogram guidance and require only local anesthesia. When a diagnosis of breast cancer is made, a large number of patients can be treated with a partial mastectomy (lumpectomy) rather than a mastectomy.”

Women: Get back to life sooner
Women who need a hysterectomy because of endometriosis, fibroids, cancer or other reasons may be candidates for minimally invasive surgery.

In this type of surgery, small incisions are made in the abdomen to insert tiny surgical instruments and a lighted tube, called a laparoscope, that allows the surgeon to see inside the body. The uterus is then removed in small pieces through the incisions.

The laparoscope may also be used to aid in traditional surgery where the uterus is removed through the vagina.

In either case, the end result is smaller incisions and less trauma to body tissues, says Greg Banks, M.D., an obstetrician/gynecologist at Brookwood Medical Center.

“There are fewer complications and women generally heal more quickly and can get back to their normal activities much faster, “he says.

Is it for you?
Not every procedure can be done using minimally invasive techniques. In some cases, traditional surgery is still the best way. But if your doctor recommends surgery, these techniques may be an option. Your surgeon can discuss the pros and cons and give you more information.


While minimally invasive procedures aren’t for everyone or every situation, we encourage each patient to discuss the best course of treatment with his or her physician. The type of surgery you are requiring will also determine the type of surgeon you need. For physician referral, call 877-8800.