SMALL-DIAMETER LAPAROSCOPY USING A MICROLAPAROSCOPE

In order to determine the suitability of new microlaparoscopes of <2.0 mm diameter for diagnostic laparoscopy, 28 small diameter laparoscopi es (SDL) were performed during a 4 month period, These cases were perf ormed under general anaesthesia with immediate follow-up confirmation with conventional laparoscopic equipment (group I), An additional 13 S DL procedures were performed under analgesic sedation plus local anaes thesia and were well tolerated by the patients (group II), For group I , the visualization results were comparable in 27 out of 28 procedures , In group II, patients were highly satisfied and reported less post-p rocedural discomfort and minimal scar formation due to the smaller acc ess ports, In this study, two different types of microlaparoscopes wer e used; while both were adequate, the newer high-resolution microlapar oscope delivered an image much more similar to conventional laparoscop y and required little or no change in technique in order to obtain ima ges,This new endoscopic technology, with optical performance comparabl e to that of conventional laparoscopy, has been demonstrated to be a u seful procedure for certain clinical indications.