Appendicitis is an inflammatory condition that occurs in the appendix or appendix. The symptom shown by this disease is pain in the lower right abdomen. Appendicitis is generally treated by surgical removal of the appendix. Due to advances in technology, currently the technology in appendix removal surgery is increasingly sophisticated.
Minimally invasive surgery of the appendix
Advances in minimally invasive surgical technology (surgery) are increasing rapidly. One of the breakthroughs is appendectomy through surgery with only one hole or it is called Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS). "SILS provides a breakthrough by perfecting the level of minimally invasive surgery in cases of appendicitis," said the EMC Hospital laparoscopic specialist, Dr. Tony Sukentro, SpB.
SILS, according to him, is a refinement of the level of laparoscopic surgery from three entrance holes to only one hole. Initially, one patient must be operated on at the umbilicus (belly button) and two more instruments must be inserted outside the umbilicus. However, with SILS, everything is centered on the navel area. This one-hole surgical method has actually been used for a long time in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Especially in Indonesia, Dr. Tony claims, EMC Hospital is one of its adherents.
The benefits of minimally invasive appendicitis surgery
The surgeon who graduated from FKUI explained that minimal invasiveness is achieved if the doctor can make as few wounds as possible. Another advantage of this surgical method is that the pain is reduced a lot, the recovery period is faster. "What is no less important is that the cosmetics or appearance of the skin looks perfect because there will be no traces of dots outside the umbilicus, especially for women, of course it is very influential," said dr. Tony.
The benefits of SILS are also greatly felt by patients who are gifted with keloids. This operation is taken into consideration to be the first choice.
One of the patients, Yani Setiawan (29 years), chose SILS to remove his appendix (appendictomy). He admits, his scar only looks like a 0.5 cm long scar.
Tony again explained, actually this technology had been popularized, but experienced setbacks due to the high level of difficulty and the addition of quite expensive surgical tools. The price of the tool is around US$800 or currently around Rp.9.6 million.
Because of that, he continued, a breakthrough was made using a special tool, so that it did not require additional costs at the EMC Pulomas Hospital (dh OMNI Pulomas). So that the operation can be performed at the same cost and operating time as a three-hole laparoscopic operation.
"If you can do an operation with one hole with benefits like before, why do you have to do it with three incision holes for appendix surgery?" he said.
Appendicitis can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle because this disease is not a genetic disease. If you find symptoms of appendicitis in yourself, you should immediately consult a doctor at the hospital.
This article was written by dr. Tony Sukentro, Sp. B (General Surgeon at EMC Pulomas Hospital).