Minimal Access Surgery or Minimally Invasive Surgery is a new kind of surgery which gets more and more common nowadays. It’s another well-known expression is ‘Endoscopic Surgery’. With this method, a surgical operation is performed by the help of a small endoscopic camera, several long, thin, rigid instruments through natural body openings or small artificial incisions (‘Keyhole Surgery’).
Minimally invasive surgical procedures avoid open invasive surgery in favor of closed or local surgery with less trauma. These procedures involve use of laparoscopic devices and remote-control manipulation of instruments with indirect observation of the surgical field through an endoscope or similar device, and are carried out through the skin or through a body cavity or anatomical opening. This may result in shorter hospital stays, or allow outpatient treatment.
Advantages of Minimal Access Surgery
Minimal Access Surgery should have less operative trauma for the patient than an equivalent invasive procedure. It may be more or less expensive. Operative time is longer, but hospitalization time is shorter. It causes less pain and scarring, speedy recovery, and reduces the incidence of post-surgical complications, such as adhesions.