History of NOTES and LESS

The latter half of the twentieth century saw unprecedented changes in the field of surgery, not the least of which was the widespread adaptation of minimally invasive procedures in the form of laparoscopy. Although met with disdain at the outset, by the turn of the millennium, laparoscopic surgery had become well-established, with increasingly more complex procedures being undertaken routinely, including complex reconstructive and extirpational ones. The proven advantages of less invasive surgery include reduced blood loss and postoperative pain, a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal activity. Thanks to these advantages day-case surgery is now possible for a wide array of procedures, and length of stay for major procedures continues to decrease.