Abstract:

Interventions in the body increase markedly in difficulty when the instrument body and distal tip cannot be seen from an outside vantage point. Thus most endoscopic applications, including cystoscopy, neuroendoscopy, bronchoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, and colonoscopy, require long training periods to attain proficiency, and even experts may find themselves disoriented during a procedure. As well, retroperitoneal laparoscopy, where the distal tip of the laparoscope is not seen directly from the pneumoperitoneal space, faces similar challenges. In the following, we will discuss “endoscopy” with the understanding that the techniques may also be applied to laparoscopy.