Investigation Of Adhesion Forces At The Peritoneal Surface

Abstract

There have recently been great advances in technology for minimally invasive (‘keyhole’) abdominal surgery. The latest developments in this area are aimed at the miniaturisation of devices, with the ultimate goal of complete internalization within the abdominal cavity. In this respect, a method of reliable and safe adhesion to the peritoneum – the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and the abdominal organs – would be advantageous. This paper investigates the possibility of adhesion by capillary forces by opposing the wet peritoneal surface with a range of simple surfaces. 1 Introduction Surgical practice has undergone major changes in the last two decades with the introduction of minimally invasive, or \“keyhole” surgical techniques. The advantages of less pain, fewer scars, a quicker recovery, shorter hospital stay and improved cost-effectiveness have been seen for several operations (Perissat et al. [1]; Guillou [2]). While minimally invasive techniques for more complex procedures have been described and shown to be safe and effective, their true advantages are yet to be seen. The limitations are due to the inherent difficulty in performing complex procedures with current instrumentation which has very limited dexterity, ergonomics and visual feedback (Ballantyne [3]). These difficulties have led to the recent introduction of advanced technology in a number of different surgical specialties (Pott et al. [4]). However, while initial improvements have been seen, currently available systems for minimal access