Laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery

In the short time since LC was first performed in humans, minimal-access surgical techniques have been applied to the full spectrum of surgical therapy of gastrointestinal diseases. For many gastrointestinal diseases, [figure: see text] laparoscopy seems to offer advantages over traditional open surgery. The long-term results of laparoscopic surgery for cancer await the results of prospective clinical trials currently underway and caution is urged when laparoscopic curative resection is performed. On the horizon are significant improvements in technology that should lead to further applications and advances in laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.