Laparoscopic Surgery
Our General Surgery Program, to include laparoscopic surgery, is the perfect blend of surgical expertise, patient safety and personal attention and has made our General Surgery Program award-winning. Capital Medical Center is ranked in the Top 10 hospitals in Washington for general surgery and we are rated #1 in Thurston County (HealthGrades, 2011). In addition, the hospital boasts a 5-star rating in Appendectomy surgery (HealthGrades, 2011). It’s outpatient surgery with your safety, comfort and privacy as our top
priority, and you won’t find a better combination anywhere.
Capital Medical Center can assist you in finding a physician who specializes in laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Todd Woltman, General Surgeon, and Dr. William Williard, General Surgeon, both perform laparoscpic sugery at Capital Medical Center. To contact our physician referral line, please call: 1-800-798-5143.
Laparoscopic Surgery is performed by the use of small incisions and special equipment that can help reduce pain and bleeding after surgery and contribute to a shorter recovery time. During laparoscopic surgery, a laparoscope is passed through a small incision in the abdominal wall. Fitted with grasping and cutting tools, laparoscopic procedures can often be done on an outpatient basis.
Sometimes it is referred to as minimally invasive surgery. Video cameras, “cold” lights, and thin instruments can be inserted through small plastic tubes (ports) placed through small incisions. Your surgeon can see images transmitted by the camera on a television monitor. This method alleviates the need to make larger, traditional types of incisions in order for the surgeon to see inside the body.
Usually, patients who undergo laparoscopic surgery have less post operative discomfort, since their incisions are much smaller; there is less hemorrhaging; shorter hospital stays; an earlier return to activities; and have smaller scars. Muscle and skin trauma is lessened so recovery rates are quicker, and because patients can get out of bed sooner, the risk of complications are reduced. Infection rates are also lower because delicate tissue is not exposed to air over long periods of time.
Routine laparoscopy procedures include gallbladder, stomach, intestines, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and female reproductive organs. Orthopedic surgeons were the first in utilizing scopes to perform knee and should repair procedures. Laparoscopy is now used on nearly every organ in the body.