HOSPITAL OFFERS NEW SURGERY

PERRYVILLE -- Perry County Memorial Hospital has begun offering a new type of gallbladder surgery that greatly reduces the recovery time, costs, scarring and pain involved with traditional gallbladder surgery.

The procedure, called laparoscopic cholecystectomy, is considered a breakthrough because is eliminates the need for an incision.

"It's truly exciting to witness such a revolution in surgery," said Dr. Job Pontillas, chief of surgery at the hospital.

"The new gallbladder procedure will be the first of many less invasive techniques made possible with advanced surgical technology. The new instruments will allow many more surgeries such as appendectomy, hernia repair and hysterectomy to be done this way. The patient benefits are tremendous."

To perform the surgery, surgeons make four tiny openings in the abdomen, each less than the diameter of a dime. A miniature video camera is inserted through one of the openings, enabling the surgeon to view the internal organs on video monitors.

The instrument that was created to make the surgery possible, the "Endo Clip" applier, is used to close off the artery and duct, thereby freeing the gallbladder for removal. The bile and stones are suctioned out, collapsing the gallbladder like a balloon and allowing for easy removal through one of the openings.