What is Abdominal Surgery?
Abdominal surgery refers to the surgical procedures done in a person’s abdominal region to diagnose or treat a medical condition. Abdominal surgery can relieve the symptoms of various abdominal conditions like injury, trauma, or pain caused by a ruptured appendix or to control internal bleeding.
Abdominal surgery can include different techniques depending on the organ that needs an operation, such as the liver, stomach, or kidneys. Abdominal surgeries are classified into two types: laparotomies and laparoscopic surgeries.
Laparotomies are comparatively major operations that require a large incision on the patient’s abdomen and longer recovery time. In laparoscopic surgeries, the incision made is significantly smaller. Therefore, they produce less scarring, minimal blood loss, less post-operative pain, and faster recovery time.
Who Should Undergo Abdominal Surgery?
Patients who are suffering from diseases that affect the various organs in the abdominal cavity are the ones who are usually prescribed abdominal surgery. You may require abdominal surgery if you have any of the following medical conditions.
- Appendicitis
- Cholecystitis
- Intestinal Perforation
- Intestinal Obstruction
- Ischemic Bowel Disease
- Bowel Malignancy
- Pancreatitis
- Unexplained symptoms that upset the abdominal cavity
- Unexplained abdominal bleeding
Most patients with these conditions may experience symptoms such as pain, constipation, diarrhea, and a sudden change in bowel movements. If you experience any of these symptoms, be sure to seek immediate medical attention.
Some of the most common abdominal surgical procedures are:
- Appendectomy: This surgery is performed on patients who suffer from appendicitis. It will remove the patient’s appendix.
- All kinds of hernias repair: This is an abdominal surgical procedure performed to repair a hernia in your groin. This surgery is done to repair the weakness in the abdominal wall.
- Hydrocele surgery: The doctor can remove a hydrocele in a brief operation called a hydrocelectomy.
- Cholecystectomy: This is one of the familiar abdominal surgeries for removing the gallbladder and is performed using a laparoscope.
- Colectomy: Colectomy is a surgical procedure to remove all or part of your colon.
- Cancer surgery for abdominal organs like esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, Whipple surgery for periampullary and pancreatic cancer, small and large intestinal tumors