title: [Urologic laparoscopic surgery. Present status and prospects for the future].
abstract: The present status of urologic laparoscopic surgery in Japan is characterized by expanding indications to adrenalectomies, challenging nephrectomies including malignancies, and developing direct approach to the retro-peritoneal space for urologic disorders. Despite these trends in urologic laparoscopic surgery, few major complications have been reported but the real incidence is conceivable to be similar to the incidence reported from other countries. The surgical risks including operating time and length of hospital stay are not diminished comparing with open surgeries. Particularly, length of hospital stay is not significantly shortened by laparoscopic surgery in Japan comparing to the reports from other countries. This might be mainly caused by the difference of medicare system and customs between Japan and the other countries. In general, urologic laparoscopic surgery in Japan is aggressively extending its indications and technical modifications, and rapidly accumulating the cases; however, discussions on its true merits and basic research on surgical therapeutics seemed to be overlooked. Major tasks for the future are to improve the instruments and technology, and to improve learning curve by establishing efficient educational courses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Keio University, School of Medicine.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tazaki
mesh_terms: D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000639:trends*; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000601:surgery*