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When did laparoscopic surgery become an accepted surgical option?
Laparoscopic surgery has been explored since 1901, but did not fully develop until the late twentieth century. Dr. Kurt Semm, a German gynecologist, performed the first laparoscopic appendectomy in 1983. George Berci was one of the first general surgeons to champion laparoscopic surgery, but initially met resistance. In the late 1980s general surgeons in Germany, France, and the United States independently developed techniques for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Barry McKenna and William Say are credited with performing the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the United States in 1988. At first denounced, this procedure quickly became the standard of care and by 1992 was considered the treatment of choice for symptomatic cholelithiasis.
Dates of Pioneering Laparoscopic Operations for Selected Procedures
Year | Procedure | Surgeon |
---|---|---|
1983 | Laparoscopic appendectomy | Kurt Semm (Germany) |
1985 | Laparoscopic cholecystectomy | Erich Muhe (Germany) |
1991 | Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication | Dallemagne |
1991 | Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair | Ger |
1991 | Laparoscopic splenectomy | Delaitre |
1992 | Laparoscopic adrenalectomy | Gagner |
1992 | Laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy | Brune and Mouiel |
1993 | Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass | Clark and Wittgrove |