In tune with the rising interest among surgical gastroenterologists and general surgeons in laparoscopic procedures, Jipmer has organised a two-day meet in laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.
About 50 doctors from across the country are attending the orientation course in advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.
“Since its advent in India in the late 1990s, laparoscopy or keyhole surgery has made significant advances. At Jipmer, laparoscopic surgery is the first choice for a range of conditions ranging from simple gallstones to cancers,” said Kalayarasan R., Assistant Professor, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Jipmer.
Laparoscopic surgery also called as keyhole surgery, is a relatively modern surgical technique in which operations are performed through small incisions (usually 0.5—1.5cm). The benefits of laparoscopy over open surgery include lesser operation related pain and quicker postoperative recovery.
The two-day conference and certification course in advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery has been jointly hosted by the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI).
While launching the event, S.C. Parija, Director, Jipmer, stressed the need for training in advanced laparoscopic surgery. He appealed to the surgical community to devise systems and mechanisms to deliver the benefit of these advanced technologies to the poor people of the country.
Dr. Parija wished that the escalating cost of minimally invasive surgeries needs to be curtailed and the public sector institutions have a great role to play in this regard.
“As an institution of national importance, Jipmer is committed to create, advance and disseminate knowledge and protocols in advanced minimally invasive surgery,” Dr. Parija said.
The focus of the conference is on using laparoscopic surgery to treat various gastrointestinal problems including cancer. Video demonstrations of advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal procedures will be done by fourteen expert surgeons from major hospitals in the country including Dr. Anil Agarwal from Delhi and Dr. Rajesh Mistry from Mumbai.
As one of the few training centres for lap surgery — and even rarer centres that uses simulation to teach the technique — Jipmer has a fairly advanced minimally invasive surgery facility which performs complicated gastrointestinal procedures.
“These short term courses are essentially designed for beginners,” said Dr. Kalayarasan.
It is a long haul to becoming an expert lap surgeon. Candidates who undergo these training programmes are expected to assist a senior practitioner in 25 to 30 procedures and perform 25-50 cases under supervision of an expert before they can start operating on their own.
Even then, most lap surgeons begin operating on simple cases before they move on to the more challenging conditions such as operating cancers of the large bowel or oesophagus, Dr. Kalayarasan said. The key hole technique is feasible for early stage cancers, he added. As beneficial they may be for patients, keyhole techniques are challenging for surgeons aspiring for expertise.
“Mastering the skill is not easy and the video-guided technique requires a level of hand-eye coordination higher than what is required in an open surgery,” he said.
