Journal of Postgraduate Medicine Medknow Publications and Staff Society of Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India ISSN: 0022-3859 EISSN: 0972-2823 Vol. 48, Num. 2, 2002, pp. 156-157

Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, Vol. 48, Issue 2, 2002 pp. 156-157

Letter to the Editor

Advancing Laparoscopic Surgery in Urology

Parulkar BG

University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 19, Castle Road, Northborough, MA 01532,USA. E-mail: bgparulkar@hotmail.com

Code Number: jp02051

Sir,

I read with interest the article by Hemal and Menon.¹ The authors should be congratulated in charting a bright future and vision for advancing laparoscopic surgery in urology. In the late 80's and early 90's when general surgeons and gynecologists were gaining expertise in complicated laparoscopic procedures, there was concern amongst urologists whether the laparoscopic surgeon will replace urologists in advanced laparoscopic cases. In fact many worldwide transplant centres have a team of laparoscopic general surgeons still performing donor nephrectomies.

The pioneering work in laparoscopic surgery by Drs. Clayman, Gaur, Kavoussi, Winfield, Gill, Das, Gilloneau & Vallancien, Abbou and Menon have pulled laparoscopic surgery back into the fold of urologists.

The pioneers have moved onto more complex reconstruc-tive procedures such as renal autotransplants, renal artery aneurysm surgery, radical cystoprostatectomies and radical prostatectomies, etc. They have adapted the use of advanced technology such as robotics, telemedicine and 3-D vision glasses. Medical engineering community is introducing surgical instruments and newer technology at breathtaking speed.

However good the robots become, it is important to have a properly trained and humane human running the robot. The machines can facilitate the surgery but hopefully will never replace the surgeon.

At present the availability of these highly sophisticated robots is restricted by the high cost of the robot and disposable instruments. Hopefully in the course of time the robots will become smaller, more user-friendly and affordable.

Maybe our next generation of kids, busy playing computer games on their Nintendo and Sony modules at high school, will be ready with perfect hand-eye coordination when they become the urologists of future.

Parulkar BG

University of Massachusetts Medical Center,
19, Castle Road, Northborough, MA 01532,USA.
E-mail: bgparulkar@hotmail.com

References

1. Hemal AK, Menon M. Laparoscopy, robot, telesurgery and urology: future perspective. J Postgrad Med 2002;48:39-41.

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