The process, which has been in use in India and abroad since the mid-90s, has perhaps given rise to other ideas.

‘‘The more sophisticated version of the surgery that has been developed lately is the Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery, also known as NOTES,’’ says Dr Arun Prasad.

In this, instead of the half-inch incisions in the visible regions of the body, surgeons use the natural orifices like mouth, anus and even the vagina to access the internal organs. Hysterectomies have been traditionally done in the minimally invasive process through the vagina, but in NOTES, the surgeons have started accessing organs in the abdominal cavity.

The process is yet to gain currency and current research in the US (at Columbia University in March and University of California, San Diego in September) and has been confined to a few human trials. Reports of a successful laparoscopic surgery through vagina at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France had hit the headlines also in September.

The biggest advantage of the minimal invasive surgery, according to Dr Arun Prasad, however, is the collaboration between different disciplines, that is of immense help to the patient.

‘‘For example, earlier due to the limitations of different diagnostic techniques, some symptoms could have been suspected to be due to a gastroenterological disorder, but was actually a gynaecological problem. There was no way of pinning it down. But now, if during the operation, I find the internal organs in order and suspect the problem lies elsewhere, I can call a gynaecologist and get it solved on the spot.’’

... contd.