Major Abdominal Surgery Specialist

Why would I need major abdominal surgery?

Surgery may be necessary due to injury or various conditions and/or diseases that affect the function and health of your liver, spleen, or pancreas. Treatment may be necessary, for instance, to remove a growth in your liver or pancreas that may or may not be cancerous.

Pancreatic cancer often requires surgery to remove the diseased portion of this vital organ. Chronic inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis, can also cause tissue wasting or infection that makes surgery necessary.

The spleen is most often removed due to injury, but certain blood disorders, infection, and other health issues may lead to surgical removal, a procedure known as a splenectomy. Many of these issues can lead to splenetic enlargement and eventually splenic rupture, a life-threatening condition that requires emergency surgery due to internal bleeding.    

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Traditional, or open, abdominal surgery requires a sizable incision to give your surgeon access to the organ that needs surgical treatment. Depending on the surgery, this incision is carried through skin, fat, muscle, and other tissue structures to open the operative site.

Minimally invasive or laparoscopic abdominal surgery requires several buttonhole-sized incisions in your abdomen. Your surgeon at Chicago Surgical Clinic then inserts small surgical instruments and a tiny camera known as a laparoscope through these incisions. The camera transfers high-definition, real-time video images to a computer monitor, which your surgeon watches carefully and uses as a guide to complete the procedure.

Laparoscopic surgery is not for everyone or for every problem, but it can provide an effective and beneficial alternative to some open, abdominal surgery.

What are the benefits of laparoscopic surgery?

Because the operation takes place inside your body and does not require a long incision, healthy tissue is spared from the trauma that is part of open or traditional surgery. This helps to reduce blood loss during the procedure and usually decreases post-surgical discomfort and the risk of infection. Healing is generally faster, and patients often return to normal activities much sooner than is possible with open surgery.

When you require major abdominal surgery, call Chicago Surgical Clinic or use online booking for expert surgical care.