LASER is a type of surgery that uses the cutting power of a laser beam to make bloodless cuts in tissue or remove a surface lesion such as a skin tumor. There are a number of different types of lasers that differ in emitted light wavelengths and power ranges and in their ability to clot, cut, or vaporize tissue. Lasers can be used to accomplish complex tasks. Proper use can reduce blood loss, decrease post operative discomfort, reduce the chance of wound infection, decrease the spread bacteria or of some cancers, minimize the extent of surgery in selected circumstances, and result in better wound healing. They are useful in both open and minimally invasive procedures.
What Are Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are benign ( non-cancerous ) growths that develop from the muscle tissue of the uterus. They are also called leiomyomas or myomas. Fibroids are most frequently seen in women aged between 30 – 40 years but they can also occur at any age.
Symptoms
Women with fibroids may have longer, more frequent or heavy menstruation associated with pain in the abdomen/ lower back / during sex. Some women may have difficulty in conceiving or have miscarriages.
When is Treatment not necessary for Fibroids
Fibroid that are small, do not cause symptoms or those which occur in women approaching menopause.
when is treatment necessary for Fibroids
When fibroids cause disruption in menstrual pattern , pain or have difficulty in conceiving.
Can medication be used to treat fibroids?
Common medications like birth control pills or certain injections (GnRH, DMPA) are used for treating fibroids. Newer medicines like Ullipristal reduce heavy bleeding and pain and helps in shrinking the size significantly.
What kind of surgery can be done?
Lasering the fibroids
innovations in medical technology have enabled women to avail less invasive treatment alternatives like LASER.
An electrical tool equipped with a laser, is placed into the fibroid through the laparoscope or hysteroscope. This allows the fibroid to gradually shrink in size with minimum blood loss.
Combination of LASER and 3D laparoscopy is a unique process which gives excellent results with an improved quality of life, preserving a good uterus and good results in terms of outcome of pregnancy.
What Is Hernia
A hernia occurs when an organ pushes through an opening in the muscle or tissue that holds it in place. For example, the intestines may break through a weakened area in the abdominal wall. Hernias are most common in the abdomen, but they can also appear in the upper thigh, belly button, and groin areas. Most hernias are not immediately life threatening, but they don’t go away on their own and can require surgery to prevent potentially dangerous complications.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a hernia can range from noticing a painless lump to the severely painful, tender, swollen protrusion of tissue that you are unable to push back into the abdomen (an incarcerated strangulated hernia). Abdominal or pelvic pain can be part of the symptoms of many hernias. It can present itself in the region of the groin, umblicus or behind a previous incision, Pain in the site may implies the formation of adhesions.
Types of Hernia
- Inguinal
- Incisional
- umbilical/ para-umblical
- Hiatal hernia
Hernia Repair – The Laser Way
Management of an umbilical hernia is always surgical. As the hernia is an anatomical defect, medicines will not help. Open surgery and key hole surgery have been advocated for umbilical hernia repair. In key hole surgery, the adhesions are released and the defect is repaired either with intra corporeal suturing or with mesh and tacks. The Holmium Yag laser beam seamlessly cuts through adhesions that are present in an umbilical hernia. Bowel adhesions can also be carefully released. There is very minimal bleeding or scarring at the post op site which prevents further adhesions. Pain is also kept to a minimum with the laser.
Advantages of Laser Surgery
- Often referred to as “bloodless surgery,” laser procedures
- Involves less bleeding than conventional surgery
- The heat generated by the laser keeps the surgical site free of germs and reduces the risk of infection
- Smaller incision required
- Takes less time than traditional surgery
- Seals off blood vessels and nerves reduces bleeding, swelling, scarring and pain
- Length of the recovery period minimized
What is Piles
Symptoms
Treatment of Piles
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By making diet and lifestyle changes, you can often help to relieve your symptoms. For example, eating a high-fibre diet will make your stools softer and easier to pass. This is important for reducing the pressure on the veins in your anus caused by straining when you have a bowel movement.
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Medicines
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A range of medicines can help to relieve the symptoms of piles.
- If you’re passing hard faces, a fibre supplement such as husk or mild laxative will soften your faces.
- Soothing creams, ointments and suppositories may ease any pain and itchiness. There are many different products available over the counter. Some also contain a local anaesthetic
NON Surgical Treatment
Laser therapy does not require general anaesthesia and allows the patient to get back to normal in Laser is found more beneficial for patients having severe anal spasm (contraction of the anus), external thrombosis, fissure, sentinel tags, external haemorrhoids or internal haemorrhoids and Treatment of haemorrhoid by laser, which is done by skilled surgeons, has several advantages like less operation time, less pain, quick healing, no stricture and minimal recurrence after operation.
Treating piles with laser is an outpatient procedure. The patient is given enough intravenous (IV) sedation so that they are comfortably asleep and feel no pain. With the patient lying on their back and breathing easily under IV sedation, the anal area is injected with long acting local anesthesia so that when they awaken, they feel no pain. The larger hemorrhoids are removed using the laser in cutting mode. The laser seals as it cuts, so stitches are rarely used. Because the laser beam is so small, there is an excellent view of the hemorrhoid, and as a result of this there is no risk of damaging the muscles that control the bowel movements.
After lasering the larger hemorrhoids, smaller hemorrhoids are now vaporized, with the laser in the vaporizing mode. This produces a small, painless scar, which heals quickly. If we vaporize a larger internal hemorrhoid we might band it first to control possible bleeding.
Sometimes the internal and external hemorrhoids are separated by a bridge of anal skin. In this case, we will vaporize the internal hemorrhoid with the wide angle laser beam and excise the external hemorrhoid with the cutting beam. This gives us a lot of flexibility, which is not available with the surgical excision approach. Similar approach is adapted for the treatment of anal fissures and fistula.
Advantages of Laser
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When comparing laser removal to traditional surgical excision of hemorrhoids
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Treatment of Piles with laser is a post operatively painless procedure that allows the patients to return to work in few days following the procedure.
- Laser treatment is more effective Less tissue damage
- Has the ability to remove more of the
- Hemorrhoids
- Due to decreased tissue damage there is less pain
- Speedier recovery
- Fewer complications
