The meaning of minimally invasive you must not know

  Minimally invasive surgery is a historical trend, and minimally invasive urological surgery has become quite common, like most of the surgeries in our department already belong to minimally invasive surgery. I have been in contact with and practicing minimally invasive surgery since around 2000, and I have some experiences and insights in my clinical work that I can share with you.  Minimally invasive surgery is mainly compared with traditional open surgery, which means that there is no need to make large incisions, not because there is any change in the surgery itself. In fact, most patients lack medical expertise and do not really understand this. Some doctors may exaggerate the effect of minimally invasive surgery, but the reality is that most physicians are often biased because they cannot do long-term follow-up and scientific evaluation of patients after surgery.  True minimally invasive surgery should not only be about the size of the incision, but also about the damage to the major organs and tissues, including the length of the operation, the amount of intraoperative bleeding, the real recovery time after the operation, the evaluation of the long-term quality of life after the operation, and so on.  In addition to understanding the status of this surgery itself before the surgery, the main surgeon’s own experience should be made clear in a factual manner so that the patient has full understanding in order to choose, which is a manifestation of humanism and respect for the patient’s humanity.