Minimally invasive surgery has been the top priority in the development of surgery today, covering laparoscopy and other invasive procedures in the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract and other organs.
Minimally invasive surgery on the digestive system is quite mature and applicable to a big variety of cases. Many minimally invasive operations have become standard. For example, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is preferred for gallbladder benign disease, and peritoneal appendectomy is typical for acute appendicitis.
The range of minimally invasive surgery for the digestive system has expanded to common bile duct exploration, bile duct lithotomy, T-tube drainage, appendectomy, stomach-jejunum anastomosis, and stomach resection and other operations.
Minimally invasive surgery has the advantages of less trauma, less bleeding and pain, and rapid recovery. It can also deal with problems that come with open surgery.
Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a rapidly advancing minimally invasive treatment. The miniaturized ultrasound probe can reach specific areas in gastrointestinal and pancreatic duct for scanning through the endoscopic biopsy hole, and is even more effective than CT in some diseases like malignant tumors, vascular invasion, and tumor metastasis.