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Mar 24, 2008 4:46 pm US/Pacific
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Appendix Removal Option May Stop Scars, Ease Pain
SAN DIEGO (CBS) ―
A first-of-its-kind surgery performed in San Diego is getting international attention. Doctors removed a diseased appendix through the mouth of a patient.
The surgery took place last week at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center and it could revolutionize the field of surgery.
Jeff Scholz underwent what is believed to be the country's first removal of a diseased appendix through the mouth. It started with a trip to the emergency room and ended in a groundbreaking procedure. There was no large incision, no scar and virtually no pain.
Doctor Santiago Horgan led the team that performed the procedure. Using a robotic tube, surgical instruments and a camera were passed through the mouth and into the abdomen. There was no major incision, just a small one made in the belly button so doctors could see where they were going.
Horgan says by avoiding major incisions through the abdomen, the patients experience quicker recovery with less pain. And the risk of infection is reduced.
The procedure was part of a clinical trial. Doctor Horgan says more research and more procedures need to be done before there can be a change in the standard of care.
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