Minimally invasive surgery uses tiny cuts in the skin — or no cuts at all — rather than the large cuts often needed in traditional surgery. There are many kinds of minimally invasive surgery. Each involves the surgeon using an endoscope . This is a thin tube with a light and tiny video camera on the end. The endoscope lets the surgeon see inside the body and use very small surgical tools in the area.

What Are the Benefits of Minimally Invasive Surgery? Minimally invasive surgery can help patients have:

• Shorter hospital stays
• Quicker recovery times
• Less pain and discomfort
• Less chance of infection and bleeding
• Much smaller scars