M.G. Davies et al. (eds.), Pumps and Pipes: Proceedings of the Annual Conference, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-6012-2_3, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 Abstract Real-time image guidance will eventually facilitate a paradigm shift from the traditional endoscopic visualization to one that uses a volumetric and information-rich perception of the area-of-operation, thereby enabling a wider r...

OBJECTIVE To update the recommendations for the structural characteristics of general thoracic surgery (GTS) in Europe in order to provide a document that can be used as a guide for harmonizing the general thoracic surgical practice in Europe. METHODS A task force was created to set the structural, procedural and qualification characteristics of a European GTS unit. These criteria were endors...

The following recommendations regarding the safe performance of laparoscopic resection for curable colon and rectal cancer are intended for surgeons experienced in both minimally invasive surgery and the surgical treatment of patients with colon and rectal cancer. This document will not address the endoscopic screening or surveillance for colorectal cancer. SAGES and the ASCRS have previously p...

Robotic systems are increasingly being incorporated into general laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery to perform procedures such as cholecystectomy and prostatectomy. Robotic assisted surgery allows the surgeon to conduct minimally invasive surgery with increased accuracy and with potential benefits for patients. However, current robotic systems have their limitations. These include the narro...

The minimally invasive surgical transthoracic occlusion of an atrial septal defect (ASD) or a ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an increasingly widespread alternative treatment for congenital heart disease. The aim of this study is to summarize our clinical experience with minimally invasive surgical transthoracic occlusion of ASD and VSD without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Between April 201...

Laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) was performed in fifteen patients without invasive cancer. Indications for hysterectomy were myomas, abnormal uterine bleeding unresponsive to hormonal treatment and dilatation and curettage, chronic pelvic pain with first degree uterine prolapse and possible adenomyosis, and dysplasia and ovarian cyst in postmenopausal years. No signif...

conclusions if the indications and contraindications of minimally invasive thyroidectomy are taken into account, it seems to be a safe procedure and regarding the benefits of this procedure, it's recommended that surgeons pay more attention to this newly developed technique. introduction since 1996 with improvement of endoscopic instrumentation several novel minimally invasive techniques have b...

INTRODUCTION Minimally invasive surgical techniques offer patients the promise of smaller incisions, less pain, and shorter recovery times [4]. New technologies have allowed this rise in minimally invasive surgery making efficient and effective training of the surgical task vital to the continued success of this technique. Due to the challenging visual conditions and the unintuitive nature of t...

Since the first laparoscopic gastrectomy for cancer was reported in 1994, minimally invasive surgery is enjoying its wide acceptance. Numerous procedures of this approach have developed, and many patients have benefited from its effectiveness, which has been recently demonstrated for early gastric cancer. However, since laparoscopic surgery is not exempt from some limitations, the robotic surge...

We propose the use of super-resolution techniques to aid visualization while carrying out minimally invasive surgical procedures. These procedures are performed using small endoscopic cameras, which inherently have limited imaging resolution. The use of higher-end cameras is technologically challenging and currently not yet cost effective. A promising alternative is to consider improving the re...