Principles of minimally invasive surgery

Abstract

The historical development of laparoscopy can be traced to early in the 19th century when Bozzini, an Italian physician living in Germany, first examined the abdominal cavity using reflected candlelight.1 In 1901, George Kelling, a German, described the establishment of a pneumoperitoneum (PNP) and trocar placement through which a cystoscope was placed. In the early 1930s throughout Europe, modern laparoscopy was popularized by Kalk, who used room air to create a PNP. 2, 3 Laparoscopy was initially applied in gynecological procedures, and it was not until 1991 that general surgeons began to take notice when Muhe introduced the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in Germany.4 © 2008 Springer New York.