A NEW FINE PROBE FOR ELECTRIC CAUTERY DURING ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY

The present paper introduces a new fine probe for electric cautery (1. 65 mm in diameter, 22 cm long) that can be connected to a conventional cylindrical hand-controlled cautery holder, which is monopolar and wi dely used in general surgery. When cautery was required, a 14-gauge in travenous catheter was inserted at an appropriate site under the guida nce of a videoscope, After removing the steel inner needle, the extra tube was used as the fine surgical port for the cautery probe. The pos ition of insertion could be altered according to the operating field. Cautery was performed by conventional methods, There was no bleeding o r air leakage at the site of puncture during or after surgery, The pun cture wound was closed without any sutures. Based on these results, th e new fine probe for cautery can reduce the number of surgical ports r equired for instruments during video-assisted surgery, thus improving the ease and safety of endoscopic surgery.