ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION In every operating theatre around the world, an energy source of some description will be available to help the surgeon perform procedures with as limited morbidity as possible. The move toward less invasive therapeutic interventions has also resulted in energy sources moving out of the operating theatre into the outpatient department. Advances in energy delivery have arisen alongside and often in tandem with advances in surgery. The introduction of extracorporeal lithotripsy remains the most potent example of the impact of technology upon surgical practice. The liaison between industry and health-care professionals remains critically important both to the understanding of present-day devices, and for the development of the surgical tools of the future.
