What
could be very disturbing for a woman is not only being diagnosed with lumps or
tumors on the breast but the scar that will remain after surgery. Scars in the
breast or neck are hugely damaging to a woman’s self-esteem. Inorder to provide
a solution to this, Lifeline Institute of Minimal Access (LIMA) has developed a
revolutionary alternative technique, endoscopic
breast surgery through which the lumps or tumors from breast can be removed
without scars.
For the
past two decades endoscopic surgery has dominated the field of general,
gastrointestinal, urological and gynecological surgeries. A group of surgeons
from LIMA performed an endoscopic lumpectomy for a 26 year-old woman from West
Bengal. This is a first of its kind procedure performed in South India.
The
principle of endoscopic lumpectomy is to access the breast through the axilla,
or the armpit, using its skin lines in order to avoid scars. The target lesion
or lump is accessed by endoscopically creating a tunnel of dissection. After
removal of the lump, the specimen is taken out through the armpit, leaving no
scars at all on the breast. This type of surgery is also known as stealth
surgery, as the surgeon steals away the target lump, with no visible scars.
“First popularized
in Stanford, there has been very little publication from the Indian
subcontinent in this matter so far. Not many were aware of this technique and lots
of young women hesitate to undergo a surgery for lump removal or thyroid. However,
a series of 13 patients underwent stealth surgery for thyroid disease in the
same institution, LIMA, under the same group, and the paper has been sent for
publication,” says Dr. J S Rajkumar, Chairman and Chief Surgeon, LIMA Hospital
Women
these days are eager to befit, healthy and flawless. Many women who undergo
surgical procedures on breast or neck may beparanoid about the scar marks that
will affect their looks or self-esteem.“There have been cases of depression
post surgeries and women find it tough to cope with the post surgery trauma. Understanding
the impact it has on one’s mental health, we have come up with this new
technique that not only cures the individual physically, but gives them
confidence post-surgery. The procedure requires just one sitting andtherefore
very easy, cost-effectiveand time saving
for the patient, says Dr. Anirudh Rajkumar General Laparoscopic & Bariatric
Surgeon
The
breast and thyroid, so far outside the ambit of endoscopic surgery, are now
also within the field of endoscopy, thereby permitting younger and scar
conscious patients an option of ‘stealth ‘ or scar less
surgery
