What is Laparoscopic Surgery?

The world of laparoscopy has expanded during the last decade to include most surgical procedures involving all abdominal and chest contents as well as the brain and heart. 1994 saw the introduction of robotics into the operating room. A robotic arm was used to hold the camera replacing the camera operator. Two years later, a surgery was performed with the patient and surgeon in different locations using the Internet. Although the invention of the first solid state camera was unveiled in 1982, it was not until 1987 before Phillipe Mouret would perform the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This event ignited the world of laparoscopic surgery. Today, 98% of all gallbladders removed surgically are removed with the laparoscopic approach. The shift from the open method of gallbladder removal to the laparoscopic method took fewer than 5 years to occur. During the past decade, a dynamic evolution in Minimally Invasive Surgery has occurred that has no equal in the history of surgery. Today, few abdominal surgical procedures escape the laparoscopic approach.