The role of technology in minimally invasive surgery: state of the art, recent developments and future directions.

The diffusion of minimally invasive surgery has thrived in recent years, providing substantial benefits over traditional techniques for a number of surgical interventions. This rapid growth has been possible due to significant advancements in medical technology, which partly solved some of the technical and clinical challenges associated with minimally invasive techniques. The issues that still limit its widespread adoption for some applications include the limited field of view; reduced manoeuvrability of the tools; lack of haptic feedback; loss of depth perception; extended learning curve; prolonged operative times and higher financial costs. The present review discusses some of the main recent technological advancements that fuelled the uptake of minimally invasive surgery, focussing especially on the areas of imaging, instrumentation, cameras and robotics. The current limitations of state-of-the-art technology are identified and addressed, proposing future research directions necessary to overcome them. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.