LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY

The speed of adoption and popularity of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is without precedence in modern surgical history. This has resulted in therapeutic and diagnostic laparoscopy being attempted in almost every field of surgery to substitute open surgical procedures. The list is endless. It will take time to evaluate the safety and advantages of many of these procedures as reports of controlled studies and long term follow up results are awaited. While certain procedures like gall bladder surgery and appendicectomy will establish their many fold advantages over open surgery, many other procedures like repair of hernias, radical resection of bowel for malignancy etc may fail to do so once the initial enthusiasm wanes away. Any way the concept of minimally invasive surgery is going to be a dominant factor in the surgery of this decade and one should prepare to face this fascinating challenge. Further developments in laparoscopic instruments, optical system and video imaging techniques will add to the progress and safety of laparoscopic surgical procedures in the days ahead.