Pope Francis underwent a three-hour laparotomy, or open abdominal surgery, in a Rome hospital on Wednesday to repair a hernia, which doctors said was successful, according to a Reuters report. The report further quoted a statement that said the operation was necessary to repair a laparocele, a hernia that sometimes forms over a scar, usually resulting from previous surgery. "It is more common in older people and it can also be caused by obesity or weakness of the abdominal wall muscles," it read. Notably, a prosthesis was used to reconstruct the abdominal wall. Chief surgeon Doctor Sergio Alfieri, who carried out a first abdominal operation on Francis in 2021, was quoted in the Reuters report, "He even joked with me about when we would do the third operation." Alfieri also stated that no other ailments or pathologies were discovered during the operation, adding that the 86-year-old Francis had reacted well to general anaesthesia and that he expected the Pope to be in hospital for about 5-7 days. Let's find out more about the procedure and the recovery process. What is abdominal surgery? Abdominal surgery refers to any operation performed for diseases affecting the abdominal wall, like hernia, abscess, sinus and intra-abdominal organs like liver, pancreas, bile duct, spleen, intestine, kidneys, said Dr Nagaraj Palankar, consultant, surgical gastroenterology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru. What is abdominal hernia, and its types? Abdominal hernia refers to any protrusion of intestine or other tissue through a weakness or gap in the abdominal wall. It presents with symptoms like mild pain, aching, or a pressure sensation at the hernia site, said Dr Shrey Srivastav, MD (Internal Medicine), Sharda Hospital, Noida. Dr Srivastav listed the three main types of hernia surgery: Open repair- Open hernia repair is where an incision, or cut, is made in the groin. The surgeon then pushes the hernia back into the abdomen and strengthens the abdominal wall with stitches or synthetic mesh. Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) repair- Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) hernia repair uses a laparoscope, a thin, telescope-like instrument that is inserted through a small incision at the umbilicus (belly button) and performed the surgery. Robotic repair- Robotic hernia repair, like laparoscopic surgery, uses a laparoscope and is performed in the same manner but in this surgeon is seated at a console in the operating room, and handles the surgical instruments from the console. Based on frequency and complexity, Dr Palankar said that they could be categorised as: Common procedures - Cholecystectomy, Hernia Repair, Appendectomy, Intestinal Resections, Intestinal Perforation Repair, Diversion Stomas. High-end procedures - Colectomy, Rectal Cancer Surgery, Splenectomy, Gastrectomy. Unicorn procedures - Pancreaticoduodenectomy, Hepatectomy, Cytoreductive Surgery and Total Pancreatectomy. Based on urgency, they could be elective or emergency procedures, said Dr Palankar. What is laparotomy? According to Dr Srivastav, Pope Frances went for an open laparotomy (open repair) where a synthetic mesh is inserted. ClevelandClinic.org noted that in most cases, it is emergency surgery. How is it done? Laparotomy, also called as open abdominal surgery, entails exploration of the abdomen using long incisions, said Dr Palankar. Recovery After operation, most people are discharges within 48 hrs if they are without complications, and are able to return to work within 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, said Dr Srivastav. Concurred Dr Palankar and mentioned that it depends on the complexity of the surgery. "It could range from less than 24 hours for daycare procedures to two weeks for major and complicated surgeries. The hospital stay can be prolonged in the event of untoward complications," said Dr Palankar. 📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don't miss out on the latest updates!
