Dr A K Bansal offers the complete range of minimally invasive (laparoscopic) abdominal surgery at Dr Bansal Gastro & Liver Centre, Gomti Nagar Extension and Myra City Hospital, Lucknow. The service covers laparoscopic gallbladder, appendix, hernia, colorectal, anti-reflux, bariatric and selected hepatobiliary surgery. Practice follows the SAGES, EAES, WSES, ERAS Society and IAGES standards for minimally invasive surgery.
Laparoscopic surgery — also called keyhole surgery or minimally invasive surgery — is a technique in which abdominal operations are performed through several small (5–12 mm) port incisions rather than one large open incision. A laparoscope (a small camera) transmits a magnified, high-definition view of the inside of the abdomen to monitors. Long-shafted instruments are introduced through the ports and used to dissect, divide, suture and reconstruct tissues with the same anatomical objectives as open surgery.
The principal advantage is not the cosmetic appearance of the scars — though that matters to many patients — but the substantial reduction in the physiological trauma of access. Large abdominal incisions cause significant post-operative pain, impaired breathing, prolonged ileus, higher wound complication rates and slower mobilisation. Laparoscopic surgery preserves the abdominal wall, allowing patients to mobilise sooner, return to function faster, and incur fewer wound-related complications.
Modern laparoscopic surgery is endorsed as standard of care for most elective abdominal procedures by every major contemporary guideline body, including SAGES, EAES, WSES, ERAS Society, IFSO (bariatric), NICE, and IAGES in India.
Laparoscopic technique began clinically in the late 1980s with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), pioneered by Mouret in 1987 and rapidly adopted worldwide. By the early 2000s, laparoscopic appendix surgery, fundoplication and hernia repair had become standard. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, large randomised trials — for example, the COLOR, COST and CLASICC trials in colorectal cancer — established that laparoscopic surgery offered equivalent oncological outcomes with substantial short-term benefits over open surgery. Today, laparoscopic surgery is the default approach for most elective abdominal procedures in centres of expertise.
The following are routinely performed laparoscopically:
Laparoscopic surgery is not the right choice for every patient or every situation. Open surgery remains preferable or necessary in the following scenarios:
The decision is made jointly with the patient after a clear explanation of trade-offs.
Standard preparation includes:
Most elective laparoscopic GI procedures take 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on the operation. Patients are positioned according to the operation (supine, Trendelenburg, lithotomy or French position). The CO2 working chamber is established, the operation is performed, and the ports are closed. Specimens are retrieved through a port site or a small extraction incision.
Patients are transferred to recovery within 30 minutes of the operation finishing, mobilised within a few hours, and offered oral fluids and a light meal on the same evening (where the operation permits).
Transient shoulder-tip pain (referred from CO2 under the diaphragm) is common for the first 1–2 days and settles spontaneously. Port-site bruising is normal. Patients are asked to report increasing port-site redness, fever, severe abdominal pain or wound drainage, which may suggest complication.
Recognised risks include:
Dr A K Bansal completed his M.Ch Surgical Gastroenterology at SGPGI Lucknow with All India Rank 1. He is Ex Senior Consultant in the Department of Gastrosciences at Medanta Hospital and currently heads the Department of GI Surgery at Myra City Hospital. With 15+ years of surgical experience and 5000+ procedures, the great majority performed laparoscopically, his practice covers the full breadth of minimally invasive abdominal surgery.
Bring any prior imaging, endoscopy reports and operative notes to your consultation.
Book AppointmentA minimally invasive (keyhole) technique that performs abdominal operations through several small port incisions instead of one large incision, using a camera and long-shafted instruments.
Smaller wounds, less post-operative pain, lower wound infection rates, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, reduced adhesion formation, lower incisional hernia rates, better cosmesis.
Less than open surgery for the same operation. Managed with paracetamol, NSAIDs and a short opioid course. Transient shoulder-tip pain from CO2 is common for 1–2 days.
Yes — age alone is not a contraindication. Elderly patients often benefit most from minimally invasive surgery due to less pain, faster mobilisation and fewer wound complications.
The surgeon converts to open surgery — a safety-driven judgment, not a complication. Patients are counselled about this possibility before surgery.
Port incisions are typically 5 mm or 10–12 mm. Three to five ports for a typical operation. Specimen retrieval may enlarge one port to 4–6 cm — still much smaller than open.
Both are minimally invasive. Laparoscopic uses long-shafted instruments controlled directly. Robotic uses wristed instruments controlled from a console with 3D vision and tremor filtering. Outcomes are similar for most common GI operations.