Effective and Safe Alternative to Traditional Open Surgery
Loyola Medicine combines advanced technology with extensive clinical experience to provide patients options for minimally invasive surgery, which is an effective and safe alternative to invasive procedures.
Minimally invasive procedures use no incision or small incisions, which means a patient will have less scarring and loss of blood than an open procedure, as well as a quicker recovery time.
Our surgeons work as part of clinically integrated care teams in gynecology, gastroenterology, endocrine surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, oncology and other specialties to provide state-of-the-art surgical techniques for many conditions.
We recommend minimally invasive procedures whenever it is possible and makes sense for our patients. Minimally invasive surgery is offered on an inpatient and outpatient basis.
The most common minimally invasive technique is a laparoscopy, which is used to treat and diagnose problems of the abdominal organs.
In this approach, surgeons make one or more small incisions in the abdomen and conduct surgery with tiny surgical tools, a digital camera with a light and a long fiber optic cable. The laparoscope sends digital video to a monitor, which the surgeon uses as a guide during the operation.
Why Choose Loyola for Minimally Invasive Surgery?
Our surgeons work as part of a clinically integrated care team that includes medical experts and minimally invasive surgical experts in many specialties to provide children and adults with advanced care in a compassionate environment.
As part of an academic medical center, Loyola’s expert clinicians perform and teach the latest surgical techniques and medical treatments in numerous locations across the Chicago area.
All of our minimally invasive surgeons are fellowship-trained and provide training and education to surgeons at other hospitals. In addition, our nurses have earned Magnet status, which means they have been recognized for delivering the highest level of care.
Loyola surgeons are leading the way in research that tests the effectiveness of new minimally invasive procedures. Because of this research, patients at Loyola often have access to the newest and most advanced treatments.
Specialized Care for Minimally Invasive Surgical Treatments
Loyola’s minimally invasive surgery program provides advanced surgical treatment in outstanding, conveniently located facilities. We have multidisciplinary facilities at the Loyola University Medical Center campus, in addition to outpatient services at other locations.
We offer the following specialized services to provide you with the most comprehensive care:
- Image-guided surgery — A variety of procedures can now be performed using radiographic guidance, including interventional radiology, heart valve surgery, aneurysm stenting and ablation of tumors.
- Interventional cardiology — Loyola’s interventional cardiologists are nationally recognized for performing complex nonsurgical cardiac catheterization to diagnose and treat problems. Our heart attack rapid response team (HARRT) is staffed 24 hours a day and provides life-saving emergency treatment to heart attack patients immediately upon arrival at the hospital.
- Interventional endoscopy — In an endoscopic procedure, your doctor is able to look inside the abdominal cavity or elsewhere in the body without an incision. In this nonsurgical procedure, the instruments used are inserted directly into an organ through one of the body’s openings (the mouth, nose, rectum or vagina).
- Laparoscopic procedures — Commonly used to treat problems in the abdomen, a laparoscopic procedure involves small incisions to insert a laparoscope (a specialized camera) and small surgical instruments.
- Robotic-assisted surgery — Minimally invasive robotic technology is designed to provide surgeons with enhanced capabilities, including breakthrough visualization, precision and control. The robotic system works by translating your surgeon's hand movements on the robotic controls into more precise movements of the miniaturized instruments that are inserted into the body.
