title: Electromechanical instruments for endoscopic surgery.
abstract: Standard laparoscopic instruments have significant shortcomings that impair the adequate performance of laparoscopic procedures. They are ergonomically inefficient, transmit the tremor of the surgeon to the tips of the instruments and are reported to cause injuries to surgeons. The two computer-enhanced electromechanical laparoscopic instruments that are being used clinically, the da Vinci system and the ZEUS system, are described and discussed. These instruments overcome some of the shortcomings of standard instruments. Other computer-enhanced laparoscopic instruments are being developed, one that is under development, the Laprotek, is also described. The benefits, merits and deficiencies of all these systems are reviewed.