The pancreas is a critical organ that plays an important role in the digestive processes and in regulating blood sugar.  As a treatment option, surgery for pancreas is usually undertaken to remove life-threatening tumours and infected tissues in the organ.

It is considered to be the most effective way to treat pancreas cancer. Pancreas cancer is difficult to detect and often cannot be diagnosed until the cancer has developed significantly. This necessitates surgery through which the patient has the best chance of being treated successfully. Other medical conditions such as pancreatitis, which is the inflammation of the organ, may also require surgery to remove diseased portions of the organ.

Pancreatic cysts, tumour, infected tissue and any affected portion of the pancreas or around it, is excised so as to either limit the growth of the infection or the cancer, or to completely cure it. This is a major procedure and considered to be amongst the complex surgeries. Along with the location of the organ, its delicate nature makes it essential that the surgery is done with care.

Pancreatic Surgery can be carried out with traditional open surgery as well as minimally invasive techniques like laparoscopy.  Typically the type of surgery is chosen based on the location of the tumour, the stage of the cancer amongst other factors.

The Many Benefits of Laparoscopic Pancreas Surgery

In most cases today, pancreas surgery is done using laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is the most preferred technique today given its immense advantages over open surgery while being equally effective.

Laparoscopic surgery is carried out using 2-3 small incisions usually one-inch or half-inch long, through which specialized instruments are inserted for carrying out the surgery. The tubes inserted also carries cameras using which the site of the surgery is displayed on a monitor which the surgeon refers to during the surgery.

Traditional open surgery involves large incisions which can cause immense trauma to the patient. This includes higher blood loss, more tissue damage and longer recovery times. Laparoscopic surgery thus has many benefits making it the best choice for pancreas surgery:

Safer:  Laparoscopic surgeries are safer because there are is lesser blood loss suffered along with lesser injury to tissues. Due to the incisions being small, chances of wound infections or other complications is also reduced.

Highly precise form of surgery : Laparoscopy enables the surgeon to reach the affected area with a high degree of accuracy using just a few small incisions, making it highly suitable for the delicate and complex pancreas surgery. This precision is very essential for pancreatic surgery since it allows the surgeon to remove only the affected parts while retaining undamaged sections.

Lesser pain: The technique results in lesser pain for the patient since it less invasive than open surgery  and the small incisions reduce post-operative pain.

Faster recovery leading to shorter hospital stays : Laparoscopy causes lesser trauma to the body due to which the body heals faster. This results in shorter stays at the hospital. Traditional surgeries may require up to eight weeks for recovery, whereas laparoscopic surgeries may need just two. The patient will therefore be able to return to normal life and activities much faster.

Lesser scarring: The small incisions used for the surgery result in minimal scarring as opposed to open surgeries where scarring is prominent and significant.