A Brief Overview of Gastrointestinal Surgery
The organs of the human body involved in digestion include the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestine (colon), and rectum. All these together are known as the digestive system. Gastrointestinal surgical procedures, therefore, are performed to treat conditions that affect the aforementioned parts. Gastrointestinal surgery is of two types - open surgery and minimally invasive surgery. Read on as we share four things about gastrointestinal surgery you should know.
Conditions that Require GI Surgery
There is a wide range of gastrointestinal and abdominal related conditions that may require GI surgery. Here below is a list of some of them.
Peptic ulcer disease
Hiatal hernia
Infectious disease of the colon and rectum
Reflux esophagitis and its complications
Barrett’s oesophagus
Radiation bowel injury
Primary neoplasms of the stomach, small bowel, colon, and rectum
Inflammatory bowel disease
Gastrointestinal tumours
Liver tumours
Diseases of the biliary tract
Diseases of the pancreas
Benefits of Gastrointestinal Surgery
GI surgery, depending on the condition it is performed for, helps correct any problems related to the digestive system. When non-surgical treatments tend to show little or no effects, surgical surgery may be the best way forward. GI surgery, as we mentioned previously, is categorised as open and minimally invasive. While open GI surgery involves surgical incisions and stitches, a minimally invasive procedure does not involve large surgical incisions and the recovery period is shorter. A few more notable benefits of minimally invasive GI surgery:
Post-surgery pain medication is less.
Patients can resume normal activities sooner than open surgeries.
Fewer side effects and post-surgical complications.
Patients face less stress and less trauma during and after the procedure.
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