Cancer patient saved through laparoscopic surgery

Minimally invasive surgery is now being used in patients with malignant disease as well. In a recent case, the life of a cancer patient who suffered from a cancer of uterus has been saved through a rare laparoscopic surgery conducted at a Dubai hospital. Doctors at International Modern Hospital in Dubai performed laparoscopic or (minimally invasive) surgery on the lady to alleviate her pain and suffering which was ongoing for several months as her lymph node stuck to her Inferior vena cava (IVC), the largest vessel in the body. This was a milestone in the history of surgery in the UAE. There are only two reported cases of laparoscopic repair of the IVC vessel in the world and this is a first-of-its-kind minimally invasive procedure in the UAE and in the region as well, says Dr Hafeez Rahman Padiyath, one of the noted laparoscopic and gynaecology surgeons in the world, and chairman of IMH. He said: “The patient’s IVC vessel was injured so she suffered from severe abdominal pain when she visited our hospital. Her pain and discomfort lasted for several months.” “Open surgeries are performed in such critical cases of malignancy. Here, if we had gonefor an open procedure taking long time, the patient would have died or lost a large amount of blood,” added Dr hafeez. “We opted for the minimally invasive procedure to remove the tumour affecting the patient’s IVC vessel. The entire repair on the vessel was carried out through laparoscopic procedure, so that even a single bottle of blood was not given to the patient,” he explained. Laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery is a specialised technique for performing surgery by looking inside the abdomen with a special camera or scope while performing the surgery. Meanwhile, traditional surgery requires a long incision down the centre of the abdomen and a lengthy recovery period. Laparoscopic surgery eliminates the need for this large incision. As a result, the patients suffer less pain and scar after surgery. There is faster recovery and less risk of infection as well. Laparoscopy, with small incisions and quick recovery, has revolutionised abdominal surgery. Although mostly applied to patients with benign disease, the minimally invasive techniques have now been applied to an increasing variety of surgical procedures. The technique has gained tremendous popularity as it promises smaller incisions, less pain and quickerrecovery. Dr Hafeez performed the largest number of laparoscopic surgeries in the world and was listed in the Guinness World Records for conducting 50,000 laparoscopic procedures in many countries, including UAE, India, UK, Australia and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries. According to him, IMH is the first hospital in the UAE to introduce cancer surgeries through laparoscopy in all specialties, including gynecology, urology and gastroenterology. “There are only a few centres in the world doing these procedures. The general awareness for keyhole surgeries are fast increasing in the UAE and it is due to its highly educated and informed population,” concluded Dr Hafeez. From gulftoday