Prevention of Port-Site Recurrences: Gasless Laparoscopy and Other Gases

The fundamental difference between open surgical approaches and a resection performed using laparoscopic techniques, other than the size of the wounds, is the need to maintain sufficient space for both vision and operative manipulation. This is usually achieved by the creation of a pneumoperitoneum, by introducing carbon dioxide gas into the peritoneal cavity using positive pressure. It is the pneumoperitoneum which maintains a suitable working space within the abdominal cavity, which when combined with sophisticated fiber optics, permits advanced laparoscopic interventions such as colon resection.