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Healthy Aging Healthy Aging Basics
Older patients may benefit from laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery for gastrointestinal disease is a new technique that serves as an alternative to traditional open surgery. Instead of a large incision, four or five tiny incisions are made. A camera and special instruments are inserted into the incisions and the surgeon guides the tools by looking at a magnified image on a TV monitor. This less invasive surgery requires fewer pain medications afterwards, enables patients to leave the hospital sooner and even may have fewer post-operative complications. While frail and elderly patients were not initially considered suitable for this new procedure, surgeons now feel that many older patients will do as well as younger patients.
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