With MIP, patients can benefit from these clinical experiences in various ways. Because long incisions used for conventional "open" surgeries are eliminated, patients who undergo MIP usually experience:

• Shorter hospital stays
• Faster recovery and return to work and normal activities
• Less pain
• Minimal scarring
• Less blood loss
• Reduced inflammatory response
• Less tissue trauma

Certain MIP procedures have been shown in some studies to offer additional benefits over open surgery . These may include:

• Fewer complications, such as infection, with laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy, laparascopic ventral hernia repair, laparoscopic colectomy, and laparoscopic appendectomy
• Improved surgical outcomes, relevant to reduced risk for recurrence, with laparoscopic ventral hernia repair
• Lower cost, particularly with laparoscopic procedures for cholecystectomy, colectomy, fundoplication, hysterectomy, ventral hernia repair, and appendectom

All surgical procedures-including MIP-pose certain patient risks. Your patient's medical condition and age, as well as the experience of both the MIP surgeon and anesthesiologist, should be considered in evaluating this.

MIP is not an appropriate choice for some patients. Factors to consider include:

• Obesity
• History of prior abdominal surgery causing dense scar tissue
• Inability to safely visualize organs
• Bleeding problems during surgery
• Underlying medical conditions

You should discuss these and general surgical risks with your patients, as well as the possibility that a procedure started as MIP occasionally requires conversion to open surgery.

MIP Surgical Training on the Rise
Outcomes with MIP improve as a surgeon's experience and expertise increase. Many experienced surgeons are now available to perform these procedures.