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    2024-2025 Board of Trustees

    The Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons (SLS) is proud to announce our 2024-2025 Board of Trustees PresidentSharona Ross, MDFlorida Hospital Tampa Vice-PresidentIan A. Hodgdon, MDLSU Health New OrleansSchool of Medicine Secretary-TreasurerJuan Salgado-Morales, MDUniversida Central Del Caribe Immediate Past PresidentRadha Syed, MDRichmond OB-GYN Associates Chairman / Executive Director / Scientific ChairRaymond J. Lanzafame, MD, MBAThe […]

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    The 2023-2024 Board of Trustees

    The Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons (SLS) is proud to announce our 2023-2024 Board of Trustees: PresidentRadha Syed, MDRichmond OB-GYN Associates Vice-PresidentSharona Ross, MDFlorida Hospital Tampa Secretary-TreasurerIan A. Hodgdon, MDLSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine Immediate Past PresidentPaul G. Toomey, MDFlorida Surgical Specialists Chairman / Executive Director / Scientific ChairRaymond J. Lanzafame, MD, […]

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    SLS’s AIDE Initiative

    ACCOUNTABILITY, INCLUSION, DIVERSITY & EQUITY A commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity is critical to the practice of medicine and the provision of high quality patient care. The mission of SLS is to promote excellence in patient care by providing an open forum for surgeons and other health professionals interested in minimally invasive surgery and […]

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    5 SLS Experts Discuss the Current State of Robotic-assisted Surgery and Training the Next Generation of Surgeons

    During an open forum panel discussion as part of Virtual SLS MIS 2021, five SLS experts discussed the next levels of minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery from its impact on training future surgeons to enabling surgeons to transform healthcare. Editor’s note: Responses have been paraphrased for brevity. Raymond Lanzafame, MD, MBA, FACS, Executive Director, Chairman, Scientific […]

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    Advanced Laser Technologies Help Improve Safety in the COVID-19 Era

    By Nicole Miller, MD, FACS Associate Professor, Department of Urology, and Fellowship Director for Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville COVID-19 has drawn many aspects of medicine into a different focus. Now, months after the pandemic made its initial impact on our hospital, we are able to reflect on all the […]

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    Dr. Raymond J. Lanzafame Appointed Chairman of The Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons (SLS)

    RAYMOND J. LANZAFAME, MD, MBA, FACS NAMED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SOCIETY OF LAPAROSCOPIC & ROBOTIC SURGEONS (SLS) Miami, FL: The Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons (SLS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Raymond J. Lanzafame, MD, MBA, FACS to the position of Chairman. Dr. Lanzafame has been a key part of SLS’s […]

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    Camran Nezhat Q&A: Minimizing Harm and Improving Recovery

    Camran Nezhat, MD, FACOG, FACS Inventor and pioneer of modern-day minimally invasive and robotic surgery; Fellowship Director of Camran Nezhat Institute, Center for Special Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery in Palo Alto, California. The goals of minimally invasive surgery remain the same as laparoscopy – achieve the desired outcomes with less destruction, pain and recovery […]

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    Technologies That Simplify OR Staffing

    By Jessica Carlson, MD Curry Health Network, Gold Beach, Oregon Here in rural southwest Oregon, I am the only general surgeon in my county. It’s a challenging position that keeps me on my toes. Because there can be unexpected demands on my time, I need to work as efficiently as possible. That means keeping an […]

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    How We Can Stop Mistreating Endometriosis

    By Kenny R. Sinervo, MD, FRCSC Medical Director, Center for Endometriosis Care, Atlanta Endometriosis is a progressive condition where endometrium-like tissue grows outside the uterus in the pelvis, abdomen and thorax. The condition causes chronic pain, inflammation, endometriomas, fibrosis, adhesions, bowel or bladder dysfunction, endocrine and immune problems and infertility. Endometriosis affects 0.7% to 8.6% […]

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    MISWeek 2020 Conference Cancellation Notice

    We write this notice to advise you that the MISWEEK 2020 Conference scheduled for August 26-29, 2020 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, Honolulu, Hawaii has been cancelled. SLS staff and leadership have reached this difficult decision after careful consideration of the evolving nature of this highly fluid situation with prolonged travel restrictions […]

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    The Delicate Task of Removing Uterine Fibroids to Improve Fertility

    By Antonio R. Gargiulo, MD Dr. Gargiulo is a reproductive endocrinologist and reproductive surgeon at the Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery and the Boston Center for Endometriosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He is the Medical Director of Robotic Surgery for Brigham Health, and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive […]

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    SLS Name Change Announcement

    The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons is now THE SOCIETY OF LAPAROSCOPIC & ROBOTIC SURGEONS The SLS Board of Directors recently approved our new name. While the term “Laparoendoscopic” was intended to represent all MIS disciplines and technologies when SLS was formed in December of 1990, it no longer is consistent with current terminology and search […]

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    Taking the Frustration Out of a Foggy Lens

    Trialing an in situ lens cleaning option that reduces both time and stress in the OR By Matthew Brunson Martin, MD, FACS Surgeon, Central Carolina Surgery, PA, Greensboro, North Carolina Impaired visibility is a major frustration during laparoscopic surgery. Blood, smoke and steam impair our view, and we can’t safely continue with surgery until we […]

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    Strengthening Teams in the OR

    Surgery can be smooth and relaxed, even as personnel rotate and change. By Misty Tuttle Lead Surgical Technologist Cone Health, Wesley Long Hospital, Greensboro Laparoscopic surgery is a team effort. In the OR, in addition to the surgeon, we generally have one or two surgical technologists, a circulating nurse performing documentation, and a CRNA or […]

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    Credentialing for Laser Surgery

    With quality education and consistent standards, every hospital can ensure laser procedures safely produce the desired outcomes. By Raymond J. Lanzafame, MD, MBA, FACS Regardless of specialty, you have likely used or heard about the use of laser technology in surgery. Virtually every surgical procedure has been accomplished with laser techniques. However, adequate skills, training, […]

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    The Search for Consistent Abdominal Port-Site Closure

    Today’s options make challenging cases easier and reduce the risk of hernia. By Dieter Bruno, MD, FACS Urologist, Peninsula Urology Center, Redwood City, California A surgeon can perform a complex laparoscopic procedure exceptionally well, but if the patient develops a port-site hernia postoperatively, that will be the enduring impression of their surgery. Port-site hernias can […]

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    New Position? Don’t Be Afraid to Suggest Your Preferred Surgical Tools When a technology benefits patients and the hospital, make your case early.

    By Samit D. Soni, MD Urologist, Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, Houston, Texas In my recent move to a new position at a different hospital, I knew I was leaving behind some surgical tools I had spent 4 years using and teaching to residents and fellows. It can be unsettling to start using different […]

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    With Safer Procedures, Treatment Moves to the Rural Setting

    By G. Richard D. Batstone, MA, MB, BChir, MD (Cantab), FRCS (Urol), FRACS, FRCSC Because of the risks and facility requirements for some common urological procedures, such as treatment of large kidney stones and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), small hospitals in rural areas will often refer those cases to larger facilities. For the last 6 […]

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    Partnering to Meet Complex Educational Challenges: The Endometriosis Model

    By Sallie Sarrel, PT, ATC, DPT On March 3, 2019, over 350 patients, specialists, activists, and industry leaders collaborated in person at the first-ever Endometriosis Summit, a patient and practitioner town hall meeting that demanded understanding of the disease, addressed state-of-the-art therapies, and raised future directions in its treatment. Another 20,000-plus viewers watched and participated […]

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    Combining Robotic Surgery and the CO2 Laser for Optimal Results

    By Thiers Soares Raymundo, MD In gynecologic endoscopy, two technologies – the CO2 laser and surgical robot – are changing how we approach an increasing number of procedures. I have been using these technologies for two years for several surgeries, including myomectomy for uterine fibroids, endometriosis and cystectomy. The benefits of using these technologies in […]

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    Microsurgery 2.0: Robotic Myomectomy with CO2 Laser

    By Antonio R. Gargiulo, MD Dr. Gargiulo is a reproductive endocrinologist and reproductive surgeon at the Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery and the Boston Center for Endometriosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He is the Medical Director of Robotic Surgery for Brigham Health, and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive […]

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    Updated Technology and Technique Enhances the Patient Experience

    by Maurice K. Chung, RPh, MD In my decades of practice, I have embraced the transformation from open surgery to laparoscopy and finally to every-smaller, less invasive laparoscopic approaches such as mini lap. As a pelvic pain specialist who performs many endometriosis and urogynecological procedures, I know how these surgical technologies can improve both outcomes […]

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    Endometriosis Treatment Choices, by Age

    By Harry Reich, MD, FACOG, FRCOG, FACS The ideal treatment for endometriosis is a single surgery that removes all abnormal endometrial cells, thus resolving the ensuing condition. Success means choosing the right surgery, so repeated procedures are not necessary. The challenge for surgeons is that when symptoms of endometriosis begin, it is difficult to see […]

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    Reducing Readmissions for Endoscopic Kidney Stone Surgery

    We focused on the most common reasons for retreatment and found new ways to address them. By Michael Maddox, MD Ideally, we would like to treat a condition once and allow our patients to return to normal, healthy activities. In my field, patients sometimes require repeat treatment for kidney stones. A second treatment means a […]

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    Complete Endometriosis Treatment in a Single Surgery

    By Jessica Opoku-Anane, MD, MS Forty to 50% of patients with endometriosis experience a recurrence of endometrial cell growth and pain within 5 years after surgical treatment, even with medical suppression. (Guo 2009) Recurrence is much higher in patients whose endometriosis is advanced at the time of surgery. Once the symptoms return, patients often need […]

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    A Guide to Mini-Laparoscopic CO2 Laser Surgery for Gynecology

    by Mona Orady, MD Obstetrician-Gynecologist Director of Robotic Surgery, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco     I learned to perform mini-laparoscopy surgery about five years ago, and I have been performing it regularly for the last two years. Now I can use this modality for almost every gynecologic laparoscopic surgery that I perform, including […]

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    Can You Have Endo Excision Surgery Minus the Downtime? This Doc Says Yes

    By Joanie Cox-Henry Imagine having endometriosis excision surgery and needing no downtime. That’s the reality for Dr. Mona Orady’s patients. The San Francisco-based OB-GYN specializes in mini-laparoscopy. Instead of using instruments with a circumference of 5 to 12 millimeters, she uses 2 to 3-millimeter tools to excise endo. For many women who undergo traditional laparoscopic […]

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    We Need to Come Together to Learn Complex Surgery

    By Mona Orady, M.D. There is still much to learn about the benefits and potential of robotic surgery. Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. –Vincent Van Gogh We are still forming opinions about robotic surgery. Although the existence and progression of robotic surgery is undeniable, the question of a […]

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    The Value of Surgical Energy in Gynecology

    Please R.S.V.P. to: Sarah Sherwood, (650) 380-9102 or sarah@sherwoodcommunications.com MEDICAL SOCIETY TO DISCUSS MOLECULAR ENERGY’S ROLE IN FUTURE GYN TECHNOLOGY MISWEEK ’17 Panel to Include Dr. Andrew Brill from California Pacific Medical Center Using energy to operate is the future of Surgical Gynecology. The idea is becoming more popular and more clinically relevant. This session […]

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    Lovers to Spouses: The Value of a 40+ Year Love Affair with A Man and Medicine

    Lovers to Spouses with Dr. Liselotte Mettler and Elwin Wallace Law BOOK SIGNING:  Co-Inventor of Minimally Invasive Surgery Dual Memoir of Well-Known Surgeon and Her Husband Please R.S.V.P. to: Sarah Sherwood, (650) 380-9102 or sarah@sherwoodcommunications.com WHO: The Authors: Dr. Liselotte Mettler, co-inventor of minimally invasive surgery and California Real Estate expert Elwin Wallace Law Hosted […]

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    Toward No-Scar Surgery Again—This Time With Energy

    Panel to Discuss Energy Devices and Potential for Incision-Free Surgery By Monica J. Smith Energy-driven technology is a cornerstone of surgery. Although surgeons use the devices at their disposal skillfully, for the most part, many do not know exactly how they work. A better understanding of the technology, experts say, could help surgeons make the […]

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    Energy is the future of medicine: Understanding how it works is critical to your career

        DOT MED Healthcare Business News By Dr. Raymond Lanzafame and Dr. Richard Satava It is surprising to see how the understanding of certain aspects of energy medicine are not stressed during traditional medical training, given their importance in daily operations and in the surgery of the future. In fact, our identity as surgeons […]

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    Study Finds Grading System For Surgeons May Help Increase Safety For Complex Surgeries

    Medical Society Presents Florida Hospital Research at MIS Week 2017 Tampa, FL – July 10, 2017/Press Release/ – A Florida Hospital Tampa study is attempting to show surgeons how to grade what they see during surgery in order to increase patient safety and create a systematic standard for how surgeon’s outcomes should be studied.   The research […]

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    Surgical Energy: The Future and The Opportunity

    By Richard M. Satava, M.D. Energy is something we take for granted as we use it for surgery, but surgical energy is about to make its mark. Those who ignore what’s happening will be left behind. Although we utilize mono, bi-polar and ultrasound energy quite a bit, we don’t take the time to notice that […]

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    How to Avoid Hitting the Wall

    By Rev. Matthew Woodward Transfiguration Episcopal Church A strong, healthy looking young man walked into the ER complaining of a bad asthma attack. A friend of mine, Peter, who had recently qualified as a nurse was part of the team that cared for him. They did everything they could, but his asthma attack had progressed […]

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    How to successfully open a private practice

    by Linda Girgis, MD, FAAFP Many consider private practice a way of the past. Truth bears this out when we see the large number of doctors selling their practices to hospitals and large healthcare systems. And the overall healthcare system suffers because of this. In the current environment, the thought of starting a practice provokes […]

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    The Cost of Dismissing Patient Pain

    By Dr. Bradley Carpentier April 11, 2016 Pain is something every physician is familiar with. It comes in many varieties. There is the pain of late night calls, the pain of angry patients, the pain of poor outcomes and the pain of dealing with billing and reimbursement for your hard work. It is normal to […]

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    How to Promote Growth through Innovation

    By Melissa Cleveland, Strategic Marketing Manager, W.O.M. World of Medicine USA, Inc. Innovation seems to be the “buzz word” in boardrooms across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. So what are the important elements of innovation and why is it critical for company growth? For W.O.M., with headquarters based in Berlin, Germany and subsidiaries in the […]

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    Successfully Relieving Your Stress

    Gabrielle Parkinson, Executive Coach Being mindful of what you are doing right now and/or what you are focused on at the moment is perhaps that first step in making minor shifts and changes that can have a significant impact on reducing your level of stress.  And it all starts with pulling yourself into the present […]

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    Medical Society Digitizes its Journal For Easy Use on Apple Technology

    The Launch of “JSLS Anywhere” will Affect Its 5,000 Members Worldwide Miami, FL (November 14, 2016)–The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) will now provide its members who have Apple or Android technology with its journal research in minimally invasive surgery via a new app called JSLS Anywhere. Smartphones have been shown to offer significant benefits […]

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    Surgeons Debate Core Causes of Chronic Pain After Hernia Repair

    By Christina Frangou Michael Kavic, MD, a hernia surgeon and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons, is calling on practicing surgeons, surgical educators and medical device manufacturers to re-evaluate their approach to inguinal hernia repair, recommending less reliance on synthetic mesh repair as the go-to method for repairing inguinal hernias. In […]

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    Support In And Out Of The OR: Developing Mentorship Models For Surgeons

    In the current healthcare environment, demands on surgeons increase with every new regulatory directive and budget-tightening measure. Maybe more than ever before, surgeons are faced with a need to balance a multitude of considerations beyond learning and mastering procedures. Since such topics are often touched on lightly, if at all, during formal training, finding a […]

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    How to resolve chronic effect of work related traumas and stress with a coherent, simple and self-applied deconditioning technique

    By Daniel Kuhn, MD This article presents a simple, coherent approach and technique that can release traumatic fixations and associated negative states of mind. It can help an individual return to his/her pre-traumatic level of function and pre-traumatic personality. Mental traumas and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are universal phenomena, which are not unique to […]

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    Erasing chronic post-traumatic stress and revitalize one’s wellbeing and career – The Kuhn Technique

    A lecture and workshop by Daniel Kuhn, MD Dr. Kuhn’s approach is a simple technique which has been effectively used by athletes, executives, opera singers and high performers in general. Its purpose is to eliminate the fixation of traumatic experiences and post traumatic stress. Its benefits are a revitalize career; improved performance and recovering one’s sense of well […]

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    Wellbeing, Satisfaction and Productivity

    By: Daniel Kuhn, M.D. This article addresses what it takes to protect, rehabilitate, and enhance the career of surgeons from the point of view of wellbeing, satisfaction and productivity. Surgeons are challenged by the need to maintain a steady level of peak performance through long hours of surgery. Very often surgeons who were exposed to negative and traumatic […]

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    Debunking five myths about minilaparoscopy

    By Alice Goodman NEW YORK – The next big advance in gynecologic minimally invasive surgery could be the wider adoption of minilaparoscopy using newer, frictionless instruments. Minilaparoscopy is commonly used in cholecystectomy, but is making inroads in gynecology. Minilaparoscopy performed with the newer, smaller instruments is especially well suited for fertility procedures and endometriosis surgery, […]

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    White board in the OR adds a layer of safety

    By Alice Goodman At Minimally Invasive Surgery Week NEW YORK – Displaying a low-tech, low-cost white board in the operating room during the “time out” before surgery can significantly improve memory retention among members of the surgical team, a new study suggests. “We found that providing a white board that you can buy at any […]

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    Is It Time to Take a Fresh Look at Your Post-Op Pain Regimen?

    By Jay Redan, MD, President of SLS In the last decade, minimally invasive surgery has made major strides, with “incision-less” and micro- surgery looming on the near horizon. While the adoption of these advanced techniques has dramatically improved patient healing rates and recovery times, the standard opioid-centric approach to post-surgical pain management continues to diminish […]

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