Minimally Invasive Surgery

ECMC Corp.'s minimally invasive surgery center is the most technologically advanced adult surgical suite in Western New York and the first surgical center of its kind for adults in our region.

Minimally invasive surgery has brought about a new breed of surgeons-technicians who operate by remote control and voice command, peering at projections on television monitors. To avoid the trauma associated with conventional surgery, minimally invasive surgeons operate by inserting narrow tubes into small puncture holes. At the end of one tube is a scope (camera) that projects an image onto a television screen. In laparoscopic surgery (minimally invasive surgery of the abdomen) another tube is inserted to inflate the body cavity with a gas causing the organs to float apart. Using the camera, the surgeons are able to distinguish between the organs. Typically two additional tubes serve as portals through which the surgeons insert long, slender devices with tiny gadgets at their tips. These tools are used to sever, clamp and staple. When these procedures are completed, small cuts are simply covered with tiny bandages and patient recovery time is most often brief-no need for major incisions and long hospital stays.

Minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical procedures conducted at ECMC Corp. cover numerous surgical specialties. Below is a partial list:

• Angioplasty/stenting of arteries and veins
• Arthroscopic surgery of knees, shoulders, elbows and ankles
• Laparoscopic gall bladder surgery and appendix removal
• Laparoscopic intestinal surgery
• Laparoscopic kidney removal for tumor and transplantation
• Laparoscopic removal of ovarian cysts
• Laparoscopic solid organ surgery
• Minimally invasive surgery of the chest
• Urologic endoscopy procedures