Minimally invasive approaches to hepatic surgery.

During the last 10 years we have seen dramatic changes in minimally invasive surgery. Important advancements in videoscopy, instrumentation, and surgical skills have allowed us to perform surgical procedures recently viewed as well outside the domain of minimally invasive surgeon. Solid organ surgery has become common place; in particular, hepatic surgery has been shown to be amenable to minimally invasive techniques. Benign cyst excision, abscess drainage, local tumor ablation, and liver resection are all hepatic procedures described in recent literature. Though it is clear that the trend toward less invasive alternatives towards open liver surgery will continue, proper indications and utilization of such procedures requires careful scrutiny using outcome oriented research. This paper gives a brief overview of the technology available and its application in minimally invasive approaches to liver surgery.