Gastrointestinal Surgery - Everything About It!

In recent years there has been a rise in gastrointestinal disease due to lifestyle changes. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver, cancer of colon, liver and pancreas have been affecting the young and the elderly equally.

The advancement of medical science has given rise to a series of laparoscopic surgeries relating to gastrointestinal diseases. These surgeries are minimally invasive compared to open surgeries. Let’s have a look at the various forms of gastrointestinal surgeries.

Conditions Cured through Gastrointestinal Surgeries:

Gastrointestinal surgery can be used to prevent and treat the following health disorders.

• Peptic ulcer disease
• Barrett’s Esophagus
• Hiatal hernia
• Radiation bowel injury
• Gastrointestinal tumours
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• GERD
• Achalasia
• Malignant disease of the pancreas
• Malignant disease of the biliary tract
• Infectious disease of the colon and rectum

Types of Gastrointestinal Surgeries:

Some examples of gastrointestinal surgeries include –

• Colon Cancer Surgery – It may involve local excision which is done in the early stage of colon cancer. Here the doctor inserts a cutting tool into the colon to remove the cancerous growth. Colectomy is the next stage that is performed only when the cancer has spread to the nearby tissues.

• Oesophagal Cancer Surgery – It includes esophagectomy or removing the oesophagus partially leaving the patient with the ability to swallow.

• Gall Bladder Cancer Surgery - It involves four stages of treatment namely Cholecystectomy, Surgical Biliary Bypass, Endoscopic Stent Placement and Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage. Each procedure is performed at different stages depending on the severity of the condition.

• Liver Disease Surgery – Liver disease surgery involves Partial Hepatectomy, Liver Transplant and Ablation used at different stages of cancer.

• Pancreatic Cancer Surgery – The four stages of pancreatic cancer surgery includes Whipple procedure, Total Pancreatectomy, Distal Pancreatectomy and Gastric Bypass.

Apart from these open surgeries, the laparoscopic procedures include –

• Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
• Laparoscopic Appendectomy
• Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
• Laparoscopic Splenectomy

Benefits of a Gastrointestinal Surgery:

• Minimally invasive due to which scarring is less
• Shorter recovery period
• Reduced chances of infection
• Reduced chances of reoccurrence of the disease

Most of these benefits apply specifically to the gastrointestinal surgeries performed using the laparoscopic technique.

With the rampant increase in gastrointestinal diseases among the masses the wide ranges of gastrointestinal surgeries have made treatment and prevention easier and more accessible.