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The Future of Surgery: From Knife to Nothing
Until about 15 years ago, all surgery was performed in basically the same way. The surgeon made a large incision in the patient, and worked with his hands in and around the organs. The typical outcome was a large scar, a week or so in the hospital, and a lengthy recovery time.
The 1980's and 90's brought the advent of less invasive surgery. The most prominent of these approaches is laparoscopy. This technique resulted in much smaller incisions, a shorter hospital stay, and a rapid recovery time.
Today, medical experts say we're heading into an era of "needle contact" or "non-invasive surgery" where most surgeries can be performed with lasers, cyrosurgery (freezing) and with energy from a source external to the body. The science and technology are already here. The greatest challenge ahead is educating patients and perfecting technology with regard to these new advances.
THE FUTURE OF SURGERY: From Knife to Nothing is a 30-minute TV documentary created for FOX's The Health Network as part of the award-winning The Cutting Edge Medical Report series. The program is co-hosted by Howard Winfield, M.D. of Stanford Medical Center, Lou Kavoussi, M.D. of John Hopkins Medical Center, and Ralph Clayman, M.D. of Washington University School of Medicine, and with special guest Michael Manyak, Chairman of the Technology Assessment Council for the American Urological Association.
This program is produced by InformationTelevision Network. For more information, call 1-888-380-6500.
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