04-30-2007, 04:58 AM
<b>Scar-free surgery procedures explored </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->PITTSBURGH - A 4-year-old boy lay on an operating table here 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. <b>And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth.</b>
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.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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. <b>And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth.</b>
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.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->