Laparoscopic Surgery: An Alternative Method Allowing for Optimal Patient Outcome

The discovery of a lump on any part of the body can be distressing. According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Rapidly evolving medical technology now offers treatment methods that do not compromise wellbeing to the same degree as traditional surgery.

A 50-year-old female patient, otherwise healthy but with high blood pressure and diabetes, visited a physician complaining of a headache. An ultrasound of the pelvis and abdomen revealed a renal mass on the right kidney. Consultant Oncosurgeon Dr. Aravinda Dissanayake recommended a CT scan with contrast, which found the mass to be radiologically malignant.

Dr. Aravinda opted for a laparoscopy, a minimally invasive "keyhole" surgical procedure that accesses the interior of the abdomen or pelvis without large incisions, carried out under general anaesthesia to reduce hospital stay and speed recovery. Because the kidney has a very high blood supply, bleeding was controlled using specialised laparoscopic vascular clamps on the renal artery and vein, resulting in minimum blood loss, with the cut sutured in two layers using absorbable sutures.

Given the patient's diabetes and hypertension, the risk of complications affecting kidney function was high, so a partial nephrectomy was chosen — removing the cancer while preserving as much kidney tissue as possible. Through keyhole surgery, a 6.8cm cancerous tumour was removed from the right kidney without major incisions. A pathology examination confirmed good margins, and the patient was out of bed the next day and discharged on the third day, requiring no further treatment.

Durdans Hospital is fully equipped for laparoscopic procedures, with theatres staffed by dedicated, well-trained personnel and sub-specialties available at any time in the case of an emergency.