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Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has revolutionized surgical care and treatment by reducing trauma to the patient, decreasing the need for pain medication, shortening recovery times and hospital stays, and improving cosmetic results.
Click here to view a brief video on open surgery.
Laparoscopic surgery is accomplished by gaining access to the abdominal cavity, visualizing the cavity using a laparoscope, and performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The term “laparoscopy” comes from the Greek words “laparo” (the flank) and “skopein” (to examine). French surgeons first performed laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1987, and the procedure was introduced in the United States in 1988. As surgeons became skilled in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, they began to use laparoscopy to perform other advanced abdominal operations.
Click here to view a brief video on laparoscopic surgery.
The section of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery has performed hundreds of advanced laparoscopic procedures over the past five years. Advanced procedures include minimally invasive techniques for roux-en-y gastric bypass, gastroesophageal reflux disease, motility disorders of the esophagus, benign and malignant diseases of the stomach and intestines, disorders of the spleen and adrenal glands, evaluation for abdominal pain or trauma and staging or biopsy techniques, gallbladder removal, appendectomy, and hernia repair. UCLA physicians are pushing the envelope by performing more complex procedures, including those for vascular and thoracic cases.
Under the direction of Peter Schulam, M.D., Ph.D., the Division of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery has performed many advanced laparoscopic surgery procedures on adult and pediatric patients for kidney stones, live donor nephrectomy, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, renal cysts, and transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter/kidney, ureteral stricture, and ureteropelvic junction obstruction.
Robotic surgery is computer-assisted surgery, which allows the surgeon to orchestrate an operation with robotic instruments to perform more precise movements, allow better range of motion, and amplify the video-image in a three-dimensional format. Currently, the robotic surgeries are performed by urologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, general surgeons, and gynecologic surgeons at UCLA.
Various supporting technologies for MIS have been developed or are on the horizon. These technologies include the following:
Telementoring and Telesurgery capabilities will facilitate assistance and surgical performance from remote locations.
Click here to view a brief video on telementoring.
Telepresence will allow a surgeon or clinician to interact with patients from a remote location. With a patient record library, the surgeon can make informed decisions from a remote location as if he/she was in the patient's room.
Click here to view a video on telepresence.
Remote ICU Monitoring will allow a clinician to monitor through wireless access a patient's records and waveforms via a handheld PDA.
Click here to view a brief video on remote ICU monitoring.
Haptic Feedback development will help restore the sense of touch to the surgeon, which is diminished or lacking in MIS.
Research in these technologies is currently underway at CASIT.
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