Colectomy
New Jersey

There are two basic surgical approaches to colon resection: open surgery and laparoscopic surgery:

In open colectomy, the surgery is performed through a large incision, up to 12 inches in length, running down the abdomen. The diseased portion of the large intestine is removed and the remaining sections are sutured together. Patients undergoing this procedure may spend more than a week in the hospital and face an additional 6 to 8 week recovery period.

In minimally invasive, laparoscopic colon resection, the surgeon makes a series of much smaller incisions, ranging in length from ¼ inch to 4 inches. A thin instrument for viewing structures within the abdomen (laparoscope) is inserted in one incision, providing the surgeon with a magnified view of internal organs on a monitor. Special surgical instruments are placed in the remaining incisions and used to remove portions of the colon and restore normal function.

The belly is filled with gas for this procedure to expand it and make the area easier for your surgeon to view. Patients who undergo laparoscopic colectomy typically stay in the hospital less than a week and have a 4 to 6 week shorter recovery period than patients who have had open colon resection surgery.