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Dealing with gastrointestinal disease, chronic abdominal pain, or other colorectal conditions can significantly disrupt daily life. When surgery becomes necessary to treat the conditions of the small or large intestine, rectum, or anus patients deserve the quickest, safest path to recovery. For many, that path could be minimally invasive colorectal surgery.
Common conditions that sometimes require colorectal surgery include:
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Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis
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Rectal or colon polyps
Colorectal surgery often involves removing diseased or damaged sections of the intestines, repairing tissue, or removing polyps and tumors. Not every colorectal surgery requires a large abdominal incision to gain a better quality of life. Surgeons can often use a few small incisions through a minimally invasive surgical technique, such as laparoscopic or robotic-assisted methods.
Both procedures are performed under anesthesia and allow a surgeon to operate through small incisions with help from specialized instruments and a lighted camera. A robotic approach allows the surgeon a greater range of wrist motion and 3D images when they’re needed. Robotic technology also allows different specialists to seamlessly consult with each other to treat complex cases.
A minimally invasive surgical approach might not be right for everyone, especially those who have advanced disease or deep scar tissue from prior pelvic or abdominal surgeries. When appropriate, choosing a less intrusive option can help provide significant advantages for patients undergoing colorectal surgery.
1. Quicker, less painful healing and limited scarring.
Laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery both mean smaller cuts than traditional open-incision operations. Typically, minimally invasive incisions on the abdomen are only a few centimeters wide at most. That’s much smaller than the openings needed for most traditional surgeries.
These tiny surgical sites ease strain on tissues, lead to less blood loss, and reduce the chance of infection, all of which can help speed the healing process. Plus, smaller incisions leave minimal scarring, a benefit many patients appreciate.
Some conditions, such as low- or mid-rectal polyps, may not require any abdominal incisions at all. Often, we’re able to safely remove these with robotic-assisted surgery through the anus, called a transanal excision.
Related reading: How Does Robotic Surgery Differ From Laparoscopic Surgery?
2. Faster, safer recovery with enhanced protocols.
We follow patient-centered Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS). This is an evidence-backed approach to proactively optimizing patients’ health before, during, and after surgery to promote healing. These protocols use a combination of pain management techniques, dietary guidelines, and early mobilization to encourage quick, safe recovery.
The ERAS method empowers patients to play an active role in recovery before and after a procedure by:
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Helping patients prepare for their surgery with personalized information
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Mobilizing patients as soon as they’re ready to walk
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Providing nutrition options that help the body get ready for surgery and recover faster
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Offering multiple pain management pathways, including options such as nerve blocks, alternative pain medications for nerve pain or opioid medications
Because a minimally invasive colorectal procedure is often less painful than a large surgical procedure, there is less need for opioid pain relief. This makes it easier for a patient to walk after surgery. It’s important to move around soon after surgery to reduce complications like blood clots.
Most patients can drink fluids the same day as their minimally invasive surgery and eat the following day.
3. Get back to life sooner with a shorter hospital stay.
All the benefits of smaller incisions and enhanced recovery methods include a shorter hospital stay. If bowel function has returned with no complications in sight, the typical length of stay is only three to five days.
We’ll provide clear instructions on how to finish safely recovering in the comfort of home, which usually entails dietary guidelines, limiting strenuous activity, and washing hands well to avoid infection.
Patients who choose minimally invasive colorectal surgery are normally able to get back to daily activities sooner than with traditional surgery. Although everyone recovers at slightly different speeds, many people are back regular routines within three to six weeks.
4. Coordinated, multidisciplinary care in a single procedure.
One big benefit for patients at MedStar Health is a multidisciplinary approach to care, meaning you have access to different specialists like urologists, urogynecologists, surgical oncologists and more at one location.
That applies to the operating room, too.
In cases where a patient may need minimally invasive surgery on more than one organ, surgeons from different specialties can work together during one procedure to treat multiple conditions. That saves patients from undergoing separate surgeries, fast-tracking their road to healing with less waiting.
If you’re challenged by a colorectal condition, minimally invasive surgery could help. From residents to nurses to attending surgeons to critical care—our MedStar Health teams are dedicated to partnering with you to provide the best care and best outcome.
