Rear Admiral Dr. Ton Kongpensook, a specialist in general, colorectal, and rectal surgery at Phyathai 2 Hospital, has noted that surgical incisions made during intestinal surgeries in the past were large and long, causing pain and prolonged wound healing, and requiring many days of hospital recovery. The most concerning issue was the leakage at the intestinal joints within the abdominal cavity, which could lead to severe abdominal infections. However, surgery today is not as intimidating as one might think. It can be performed with smaller incisions using safe and accurate technology, reducing pain and effectively treating diseases promptly.
Current intestinal surgery is not as difficult as imagined
Nowadays, with technological advancements and progress in intestinal surgery, the methods have significantly changed. There has been medical development in performing surgeries with smaller wounds, known as Minimal Invasive Surgery (MIS). With this technique, surgeons can perform intestinal surgeries by making incisions about 5 millimeters to 1 centimeter at about 3-5 places on the abdominal wall. They then use instruments inserted through these incisions to cut and remove diseased or affected intestinal tissue. Once the tissue is removed, the surgeon makes a slightly larger opening in the abdominal wall to remove the diseased or affected intestine and then reconnects the remaining parts.

There are now devices for automatic cutting and stitching to reconnect the intestines, making the process more convenient, especially for cutting and connecting intestines in the narrow and deep pelvic area. Stitching the intestines with sutures can be challenging, so using such devices increases the safety, convenience, and accuracy of the surgery, reducing the time needed.

Many people fear pain, severe discomfort, and long recovery times

With the current techniques of small incision surgery and devices for cutting and connecting intestines, hospital recovery times can be significantly reduced. Patients can return to consuming food sooner, and the need for postoperative pain medication decreases. Due to medical advancements, the incidence of creating artificial anuses has greatly decreased. The developed surgical techniques allow for treatment that lets patients return to normal bowel movements, except for patients with advanced cancer affecting the sphincter muscles, necessitating their removal to eliminate the cancer from the body.

Don't fear intestinal surgery; it's not as intimidating as it once was 

Digital and medical technology is advancing rapidly. Treatment, diagnosis, radiation and surgery become easier procedures. The patient has smaller surgical scar with fast recovery times. For conditions such as colorectal cancer, smaller surgeries might be a viable option, depending on your doctor's assessment.

Dr. Ton Kongpensook

Colorectal Surgeon

GI and Liver Center, Phyathai 2 Hospital