Zero scar surgery: Doctors remove tumor from inside stomach without external surgery; 80-year-old patient discharged in 24 hours

A team at Yatharth Super Specialty Hospital in Sector-88 Faridabad removed a tumor from inside a patient's stomach wall without making any cuts on the outside of the body. Zero scars. The tumor was located in the first part of the stomach, which is already a tricky area to work on. Normally, this would mean opening up the abdomen, going in surgically, removing the tumor, and dealing with all the recovery time that comes with that. But the doctors here went a different route. They used an endoscope—basically a flexible tube with a camera on it—and threaded it down through the patient's mouth, into the stomach, and did the entire operation from inside.Dr. Dhruv Kant Mishra, a Gastroenterology and Hepatology consultant at the hospital, walked through what made this so complex. "This was an extremely challenging case involving a tumor inside the wall of the stomach, requiring precise intervention. We performed an endoscopic full thickness resection, which involves removing the lesion entirely from the stomach followed by device-assisted closure of the defect.""80 year old male patient, came to the hospital with complaints of bleeding from the mouth. He had a large tumor in the gastric fundus (first part of the stomach). Normally this kind of tumor requires major surgery and a 7-10 day hospital stay during which there is significant pain and the patient cannot eat any food but with this new procedure/new device, we were able to do it without any externals scars or incisions etc and discharge him within a day," the doctor added. They inserted a full-thickness plication device through the patient's mouth and guided it into the stomach. Once there, they removed the tumor completely. But that's only half the job. When you take out a tumor from the stomach wall, you're left with a hole. So the team had to close that defect, seal it up properly, all while working through an endoscope. The patient went home the next day. Twenty-four hours after the procedure, they were discharged in stable condition. Compare that to traditional stomach surgery, where you're looking at days in the hospital and weeks of recovery at home. Dr. Mishra pointed out who really benefits from this. "This approach is especially beneficial for elderly patients or those with multiple co-morbidities who are not ideal candidates for conventional surgery. The organ-preserving and minimally invasive nature of endoscopic full thickness resection significantly lowers surgical risks while maintaining clinical effectiveness." There are patients who simply can't handle major surgery. Elderly people. People with diabetes, heart problems, compromised immune systems. For them, traditional surgery isn't just risky—it might not even be an option. But this endoscopic approach changes that calculation, Dr. Mishra says.