Laparoscopic surgeries, in which a surgeon performs procedures through small incisions in the abdomen wall, have led to less invasive cancer surgeries with decreased pain and faster recovery times for patients. Because of the reduced size of the incisions, hospital stays are often shorter, with some patients even able to go home the same day.
During laparoscopic surgery, several slim, cylindrical ports, called trocars, are inserted into the patient’s abdomen through small incisions. Long thin instruments, including a lighted camera called a laparoscope, are passed through the trocars and into the abdomen. These instruments include scissors, graspers, and other instruments modeled after the typical instruments used in traditional open procedures.
