[Minimal invasive surgery in gynaecology]

In Gynaecology there have been many innovative developments towards minimal invasive surgery. Today patients can profit of these new techniques in all fields of gynaecological surgery, some of which are described: The treatment of benign adnexal pathology including ectopic pregnancy is a domain of laparoscopy. Also symptomatic myomas can be enucleated by laparoscopy with favourable pregnancy outcome. The role of endoscopy in malignant disease has still to be defined though pelvic and paraaortal lymphonodectomy and even radical hysterectomy have been shown to be feasible. Pathology of the uterine cavity (myomas, polyps, septae) is routinely treated by hysteroscopy. The concept of operative treatment of stress urinary incontinence has changed since the minimal invasive TVT procedure has shown to be as successful as the classic colposuspension. For patients with breast cancer there has been a change from (ultra-) radical surgery to breast conserving treatment. Furthermore with the concept of the sentinel lymphnode a reduction of the morbidity of the classical lymphonodectomy is achieved without loss of information about the axillary lymphnode status.