PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A 4-year-old boy lay on an operating table in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago with a tumor that had eaten into his brain and the base of his skull. Standard surgery would involve cutting open his face, leaving an ugly scar and hindering his facial growth as he matured.
But doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center knew a way to avoid those devastating consequences. They removed much of the tumor through the boy's nose.
Since then, doctors in New York and in France have announced they removed gall bladders through the vaginas of two women. And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth.
It's a startling concept and a little unpleasant to contemplate. But researchers are exploring new ways to do surgery using slender instruments through the body's natural openings, avoiding cutting through the skin and muscle.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/29/scarless.surgery.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
Wow.. doctors burst my appendix when they removed mine in 1991.. wonder what complications there might have been if they'd removed thru my mouth?
Doctor: Here, take this and gargle with it for the next six weeks. Food is going to taste really nasty for awhile.
But doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center knew a way to avoid those devastating consequences. They removed much of the tumor through the boy's nose.
Since then, doctors in New York and in France have announced they removed gall bladders through the vaginas of two women. And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth.
It's a startling concept and a little unpleasant to contemplate. But researchers are exploring new ways to do surgery using slender instruments through the body's natural openings, avoiding cutting through the skin and muscle.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/29/scarless.surgery.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
Wow.. doctors burst my appendix when they removed mine in 1991.. wonder what complications there might have been if they'd removed thru my mouth?
Doctor: Here, take this and gargle with it for the next six weeks. Food is going to taste really nasty for awhile.
