The second millennium has brought with it a new era of modern surgery. The creation of video surgery is as revolutionary to this century as the development of anesthesia and sterile technique was to the last one. With ten years of solid experience behind them, surgeons can now confidently approach almost every part of the human body with cameras and video monitors. First they make a small cut in the skin and then introduce a harmless gas, such as carbon dioxide, into the body cavity to expand it and create a large working space. Through additional small cuts, a rod shaped telescope, attached to a camera, and other long and narrow surgical instruments are placed into the newly formed space. By this means, under high magnification diseased organs are able to be examined with minimal trauma to the patient. Instead of making a large cut into the skin and underlying muscles, surgeons are now able to make small entry ports into the area of interest and perform all the major maneuvers previously done when a large opening was present.

Almost every organ in the human body has become accessible to the surgeon's camera and scalpel. Gall stones can now be removed with the gallbladder by laparoscopic surgery in over 90% of patients presenting with this disorder. Instead of months of bed rest and limited activities, which was associated with the old method of removing the gallbladder, patients can now usually resume their normal activities in several weeks.