An Open and Shut Case

The Story of Keyhole or Minimally Invasive Surgery

Keyhole surgery has been made possible through the rapid development of various medical technologies, first pioneered in the 1970s. Revolutionary in the way it reduced the risk, surgical complications, healing time and scarring compared to open surgery, keyhole surgery soon became the preferred method throughout many surgical specialities.

Here, John Wickham, the 'godfather' of robotic surgery, reflects on a life spent in research, discovery and struggle for innovation in order to make keyhole surgery widespread, accessible and available to patients. An Open and Shut Case tracks the evolution of surgery in the later parts of the 20th century, from initial surgical training in the 1960s to the rapid growth in the field of minimally invasive techniques throughout the 1970s and 80s in many specialities, precursors to the techniques used today. It concludes with a look at the effect of the National Health Service on the practice of medicine and nursing in the UK throughout this time.

Perfect for surgeons and those interested in the history of surgery and surgical techniques, it also focusses on lessons learnt, both good and bad, when dealing with the management of public health.

Contents:

• How, Why, What?:

  • School and War
  • National Service in the Royal Air Force
  • Undergraduate Training
  • House Appointment at Hill End Hospital, St Albans Herts
  • The Anatomy Demonstrator
  • Junior Surgical Registrar
  • Middle Grade Surgical Registrar
  • Senior Surgical Registrar
  • Fulbright Scholar USA
  • Resident Surgical Officer St Paul's Hospital

• The Adventures of the Fully Trained Surgeon!:

  • Consultant Urologist, St Bartholomew's Hospital and St Paul's Hospital, London
  • Synopsis of the Various Phases of the Development of My Surgical Competence
  • The Building of the Department of Urology, St Bartholomew's Hospital and Start of Private Practice
  • Ancillary Events: Regional Renal Hypothermia and the Intrarenal Society
  • Consultant Urologist, King Edward VII Hospital and the London Clinic, Civilian Consultant to the Royal Air Force
  • Dialysis and Renal Transplantation
  • Disaster: Acute Pancreatitis
  • Personal Life in the 1980s and Stowe Maries, Westcott, Surrey
  • The Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy and the Endourology Society and Courses at the Institute of Urology
  • A Slight Deviation — Gall Stones
  • The Dornier Extracorporeal Lithotripter, The Academic Unit, University of London and Retirement from Barts
  • Instalment of the Dornier Lithotripter at Welbeck Street, London and the Stone Centre
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery and the Organisation of the Academic Unit
  • The Concept of Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • The Society of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Then Therapy! SMIT
  • Closure of the Stone Centre and the Move to Devonshire Place and the London Clinic
  • Closure of St Peter's Hospital and the Institute of Urology and Transfer of the Rump to the Middlesex Hospital
  • Guy's Hospital: A New Lease of Life
  • The Probot
  • Postretirement from the NHS and Spreading the Word on Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • Syclix — Now What Was I to do With My Time?
  • The Answers to the Initial Three Questions
  • The National Health Service and Its Impact on Medical Ethics
  • The Final Words

Readership: Perfect for surgeons and those interested in the history of surgery and surgical techniques, as well as health service policy makers and managers.