Surgery means a manual or instrumental technique that aims to examine and/or treat a deviation from a normal condition such as a disease or injury or to help improve bodily functions or appearance. Performing a surgery means a surgical procedure or simply surgery. Simplifying the meaning, we can say that surgery involves physical intervention on tissues. A surgery may take anywhere from minutes to hours and involves sterile environment, anesthesia, antiseptic conditions, surgical instruments and suturing or stapling.
Invasiveness of a surgical procedure
Invasiveness of a surgical procedure refers to the extent to which a surgery interferes with tissues.
Non-invasive procedure: a medical procedure that does not involve any break in the skin is called a non-invasive procedure. There are many procedures that leave skin completely intact and fall under the category of non-invasive procedures, for example deep palpation and radiosurgery.
In a non-invasive procedure surgeon does not use a scalpel to reach to the body cavity. Rather electromagnetic or particle radiation is used such as in an X-Ray or electrocardiography. Usually these procedures are used for diagnosis and therapy. Laser liposuction is a non-invasive cosmetic surgery procedure.
Minimally invasive procedure: it is a procedure that has less interaction with tissues than open surgery for the same purpose has. They are performed through a body cavity or skin. These procedures involve small incisions that do not need stitches and are often performed on outpatient basis. They have multiple benefits over invasive procedures like they have a quick recovery period, minimal risk of infection and minimal scarring. Hair transplant, subdermal implants and hypodermic injections are some minimally invasive procedures.
Invasive procedure: any procedure that involves stitches or staples to close incision is called as an invasive procedure or alternatively an open surgery. In open surgery, the surgeon cuts skin and tissues to have an access to body organs. Maxillofacial surgeries, cardiac surgeries and neurosurgeries are some of the open surgeries.
Open surgeries have the longest list of side effects and complications from an allergic reaction to anaesthesia to the patient’s death.