Cost-effective minimally invasive surgery: What procedures make sense?

Because laparoscopic surgery has emerged during a time of medical cost-cons ciousness, emphasis has been placed on the economic implications of this em erging held. The cost of these procedures, however, is just one component i n determining their overall value to most of the stakeholders in the health care system. The value of a treatment is proportional to its appropriatene ss and quality per unit cost. Several confounding factors effect the variab les in this equation and contribute to the difficulty in this type of asses sment of an emerging technology. By understanding the mechanics of value as sessment and certain caveats for specific procedures, the surgeon will be b etter able to determine what procedures makes sense (or are of value) in th eir practice and for their patients.