Laparoscopic – Robotic Surgery

Laparoscopic surgery can be characterized as the most important development in General Surgery in the 20th century. Unlike classic open surgery where operations are performed through large incisions in the abdomen, in laparoscopy we perform operations through very small incisions with the help of a telescope and special surgical tools. Laparoscopy gets its name from the camera (laparoscope) we use inside the abdomen.
At the beginning of the operation, we inflate the abdomen with carbon dioxide so that it obtains the appropriate space, giving us the ability to perform the operation. With the use of the telescope, we see the internal organs enlarged on a high-resolution screen, while with the specially designed tools that enter the abdomen through small holes, we perform the operation. For laparoscopic operations, general anesthesia of the patient is necessary and laparoscopy is now considered a procedure as safe as open surgery.

In previous years, laparoscopy was used in simple gynecological operations and in cholecystectomy in the field of General Surgery. The benefits of laparoscopic surgery over classic open surgery were quickly recognized as impressive by the global medical community. In recent years, the development in Laparoscopic Surgery has been impressive and now in all specialized centers abroad it is applied as the first choice technique in a wide range of operations, both simple and complex. Now, more and more complex operations tend to be performed laparoscopically with great benefit to the patient. The evolution of technology has helped especially as 3D screens are used (three-dimensional vision) with particularly high definition, enabling the surgeon to make very thin movements. The Laparoscopic Surgery revolution changed the field of General Surgery for the better. However, it must be emphasized that the Laparoscopic method requires long-term training in specialized centers, so that the Surgeon can perform Laparoscopic operations after being highly trained.

The advantages of Laparoscopic Surgery are impressive:

Small surgical incisions
Quick recovery and quick return to work
Minimize postoperative pain
Less blood loss and fewer postoperative complications
Better cosmetic result
Lower rate of postoperative hernias

It is therefore easy to see that in comparison to open surgery, laparoscopy is significantly superior and nowadays it is considered the method of choice in the treatment of almost all surgical diseases.

Doctor Kyritsis Alexandros has been trained in the field of Laparoscopic Surgery at the leading Hospitals of the United Kingdom ¨King’s College Hospital London¨, ¨Manchester Royal Infirmary¨ and ¨Chesterfield Royal Hospital¨.

In recent years, Robotic Surgery has also gained traction, which is essentially an evolution of Laparoscopic surgery. Robotic surgery is performed through the same incisions as in laparoscopic surgery but the manipulation of the tools is done with the help of the robotic system. This gives tremendous precision and freedom of movement to the surgeon compared to laparoscopic surgery. Also, the image through the robotic system is three-dimensional and of better definition than the laparoscopy image. The disadvantage of Robotic surgery compared to Laparoscopic is the higher cost of the operations. Doctor Kyritsis Alexandros, General Surgeon, was trained in Robotic Surgery at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, which is the largest Robotic Surgery center in the world.

The main operations performed Laparoscopically and Robotically are the following:

Appendectomy
Esophageal achalasia
Small bowel resection
Stomach perforation
Gastrectomy
Colectomy and colon operations
Bariatric surgery
Rectal prolapse nad rectocele 
Hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux
Cholecystectomy
Splenectomy
Adrenalectomy
Hernia repair