Advances in Visualization for Laparoscopic Surgery

The British physicist, Harold Hopkins, developed a rod lens system in 1959 which was smaller in diameter and produced a brighter image with much more resolution. The work of Hopkins, Berci, and Storz created an entire series of smaller rigid endoscopes with vastly improved performance and made a significant impact on present and future clinical results. The new optical systems connected to a video display generated new areas where previous surgical operations were replaced with endoscopic approaches. The recording of procedures on tape or single images was an additional help in the documentation of cases.