Endoscopische abdominale chirurgie via natuurlijke lichaamsopeningen

- Over the past few decades gastrointestinal endoscopy has developed from a purely diagnostic technique to one having numerous therapeutic gastrointestinal applications. Simultaneously, minimal invasive surgery is increasingly replacing traditional open abdominal procedures.

- These trends have led to a new and innovative way of accessing the peritoneal cavity through the orifices of the body (mouth, anus and vagina) by means of endoscopic surgery: natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES).

- Thanks to excellent collaboration between surgeons and gastroenterologists and experimental animal research, NOTES has developed extremely rapidly over the past few years.

- Although many limitations need to be surmounted before NOTES can reach the human clinical trial stage, the prospect of safe, minimal invasive and scar-less surgery appears very promising.

- The near future will tell whether current barriers will be broken down and NOTES will acquire a fixed place in the diagnostic and therapeutic work-up of certain gastrointestinal afflictions.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2008;152:1091-6