ABSTRACT
The introduction of practical laparoscopic surgery in the early 1980s was initially greeted with reservation and disdain. However, over the last 30 years, the minimally invasive approach has become one of the most significant transformations of its era for both patients and surgeons. Originally used exclusively as a diagnostic tool, laparoscopy has evolved into a commonly accepted approach performed for almost all abdominal operations. The introduction of technical innovations such as high definition cameras, tissue-sealing devices, articulating staplers, and new methods of access and tissue visualization has permitted accomplishment of ever more complicated surgical challenges.
