This inflation process provides for one of the few risks of the laproscopic surgery, because if a mistake is made in the process of inflation, serious complications during the surgery can occur. This risk is so minimal, however, that it is considered minimal in comparison to the surgery's benefits when compared to open abdominal surgery, which presents a much higher risk of post-surgical infection. .
The laproscopic surgical method is typically used in abdominal and pelvic surgeries, and is generally the preferred method among both surgeons and patients. As long as the patient's internal anatomy is not abnormal in any way, they are considered a candidate for laproscopic surgery, the only exception being an unexpected finding or event in the operating room, which may lead to the surgeon deciding to perform an open abdominal surgery instead (Harmon 3). In general, however, the laproscopic method is much more beneficial to the patient, reducing both the risk of infection and the length of their hospital stay, as well as the size of the scar (Gordon 1). .
In addition to advanced endoscopic and laproscopic surgery techniques, a new method that requires only the entrance of a single needle into the body has been developed for the treatment of tumors, kidney stones, and other abnormal tissues. Rather than cut open a patient's chest or abdomen, doctors can now insert a slender needle through the skin and destroy the tissue with heat, cold, or alcohol. Once the needle has reached the target area, doctors can create a burst of radio waves that produce enough heat to actually "cook" the tumor or tissue. Other similar techniques include the use of probes that freeze tumors (cryosurgery), destroy them with alcohol, or use beams of light (lasers) to vaporize or destroy tissue (Cromie 2). These similar methods have now been classified into a new field, known as "interventional radiology," which many scientists consider to be one of the fastest growing areas of medicine in the United States.