Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is a type of surgical procedure that allows a surgeon to access the inside of the abdomen (tummy) and pelvis without having to make large incisions in the skin. This procedure is also known as keyhole surgery or minimally invasive surgery.

How it's Done

Before this system came along, a surgeon who operated on their patient’s belly had to make a cut that was 6-to-12 inches long. That gave them enough room to see what they were doing and reach whatever they had to work on.

In laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon makes several small cuts. Usually, each one is no more than a half-inch long. (That’s why it’s sometimes called keyhole surgery.) They insert a tube through each opening, and the camera and surgical instruments go through those. Then the surgeon does the operation.

Benefits

Advanced Kinds of Laparoscopic Surgery

Treatments that don’t rely on surgery include:

Conventional medications
Discography: injection of X-ray dye to determine if a disc is the cause of back pain
Epidural steroid: an injection to help relieve pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves
Facet joint injection: use of a numbing anesthetic to block pain
Nerve root blocks: injection of an anesthetic into the area where a nerve branches off the spinal cord
Radiofrequency ablation: use of an electrical current to heat nerve tissue
Trigger point injection: injection of an anesthetic and steroid into a muscle “knot”

When a Robot Helps

We coordinate with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to offer:

Physical and occupational therapy
Spine rehabilitation programs
Dietary counseling with Stanford Health Care nutritionists
Back-to-work referral to help prevent future injury

Pain Management

We offer care for chronic pain, including:

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): the use of electrical current to relieve pain
Peripheral and other nerve blocks
Spinal column stimulators: implanted electrical devices that stimulate the spine to relieve pain
Medication
Counseling

Our team specializes in diagnosing spinal conditions and delivering compassionate care and innovative treatments, even for conditions once thought to be untreatable. We offer the full range of spinal treatments, emphasizing the most conservative approach, including noninvasive and minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.