A Novel Approach to Appendectomy

A new approach to appendectomy avoids entering the abdomen by using an innovative procedure that approaches the appendix via the colon.

The Appendoectomy system, currently in the design stage, is designed to avoid the need to open the stomach and invade the peritoneal cavity. The system, in pre-clinical development, is based on an endoscopic approach to the appendix that involves an appendix-inverting procedure. The system has been tested in a laboratory setting.

Appendoectomy is under development by Minos Medical (Irvine, CA, USA), which is also developing similar procedures for cholecystectomy and hysterectomy, two other high volume surgeries.

"By approaching the appendix from inside the colon, we avoid the need to incise the abdominal wall and pass near critical structures inside the abdomen,” said Professor Christoph Gasche, an associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Vienna (Austria) and medical director of Minos Medical. "This should bring major benefits to both patients and clinicians. Hopefully we will be able to avoid the need for general anesthesia and should see faster recovery with much less pain.”

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is seen as a next major frontier in the world of medicine, offering the hope of eliminating incisions from many procedures. This will not only offer cosmetic benefits, through the elimination of unsightly scars, but also clinical benefits that are associated with such incisions.




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