Korle Bu makes history again… As doctors perform first Laparoscopic Surgery

The nation's premier hospital, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), is gradually registering its presence on the African continent, as one of the best health institutions.

Last week, physicians at the hospital performed the first Laparoscopic surgery in the history of the hospital.

The four -member team was led by Professor Afua A. J. Hesse, Head of the hospital's Department of Surgery.

She performed the surgery with other paediatric surgeons from the John Hopkins University Hospital in the United States of America, which was led by Dr. Fizan Abdallah.

Other members of the team included Doctors W. Apeadu-Mensah, H. Glover-Addy, and V. Etwire from KBTH, and Dr. Karen Cartwright from the USA.

This form of surgery, which is often referred to as 'Key Hole' surgery, allows various body cavities to be explored whilst the surgery is performed, without necessarily cutting or doing large incisions.

In the process, internal organs of the body are visualized through a telescope, which is projected onto television screens whilst the surgery or procedure is performed, using various surgical instruments.

The doctors managed to perform four cases within the two days of the operation.

Two of such cases were diagnostic and therapeutic, whilst one was curative.

In another case, the procedure had to be terminated and completed through the open conventional route.

According to Prof. Hesse, this occasionally becomes necessary, depending on the findings on laparoscopy.

Laparoscopic surgery is currently available in most paediatric surgery centres the world over.

This therefore makes Korle Bu one of the few countries on the African continent to provide such services.

The hospital's management believes such international collaborations would continue to strengthen patient care and delivery in the country, to the mutual benefit of all Ghanaians.