Getting a surgery done without scars would definitely be a breakthrough in medical science. The new mechanism, which is still in the developmental stage, allows for magnetically maneuvering laparoscopic surgical tools placed into the abdominal cavity through the bellybutton or throat. The system uses a stack of magnets outside the abdomen to attract other magnets attached to laparoscopic instruments inside the abdomen. Surgeons can lock the instrument in place after locating the best position for the internal camera. That allows a much greater range of maneuverability and the surgical team can more easily reposition the camera or instrument, said Dr. Cadeddu associate professor of urology and radiology and director of the Clinical Center for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Urologic Cancer. However the challenge remains to design the new instruments and determine just how to move them once they're inside the human body. Dr. Daniel Scott, assistant professor of surgery said the technology may solve the fundamental problem of guiding instruments through the abdomen for natural orifice surgery, which now inserts the instruments through the throat, colon or vagina.

"The current state of the art for laparoscopic surgery requires four or five holes but this magnetic system would require only one hole and the surgeons could hide the hole in a cosmetically advantageous or less painful location" said Dr. Cadeddu.
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