Abstract
The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background informa tion supplied bythe inventors: “Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) instruments a re often preferred over traditional opensurgical devices due to reduced post-op erative recovery time and minimized scarring. Endoscopic surgeryis one type of MIS procedure in which an elongate flexible shaft is introduced into the body of a patientthrough a natural orifice. Laparoscopic surgery is another type of MI S procedure in which one or more small incisions are formed in the abdomen of a patient and a trocar is inserted through the incision to forma pathway that pro vides access to the abdominal cavity. Through the trocar, a variety of instrumen ts andsurgical tools can be introduced into the abdominal cavity. The trocar al so helps facilitate insufflation toelevate the abdominal wall above the organs. The instruments and tools introduced into the abdominalcavity via the trocar c an be used to engage and/or treat tissue in a number of ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic effect.
NETL
NSTL