PERFORMING SURGICAL PROCEDURES WITHOUT MAKING INCISIONS ON THE SURFACE OF THE BODY OR LEAVING SCARS

CIMIT’s Minimally Invasive Surgery progam is focused on making surgery safer and more precise, exploring the next generation of less invasive surgical therapy. Recent projects involve developing tools and procedures for Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), which could make surgery completely free of incisions, while drastically reducing the chances of infection, pain, and disability.  Through the NOTES initiative, many complex surgeries could eventually become outpatient procedures. 

Using newly developed NOTES devices, no external incision is necessary as surgeons gain access to the surgical field through a natural orifices. The hypothesis is that by avoiding incisions in the abdominal wall, risks of infection, pain and disability will be minimized and recovery either shortened or eliminated. Many procedures could be so radically improved that patients might even be able to return to a normal routine immediately.

In 2008, CIMIT awarded its $2.1 million, three-year, CIMIT Strategic Project grant to a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional team studying and advancing the surgical procedure NOTES. With this award, CIMIT’s investment in NOTES research will top $3 million overall, making CIMIT the largest financial sponsor of this technology worldwide.