The IJGO initiates a new feature—Surgery and Technology

摘要

Timothy R.B. Johnson, M.D. Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Bates Professor of the Diseases of Women and Children Professor of Women's Studies and Research Scientist, Center for Human Growth and Development Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA I am pleased to introduce a new feature to the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics entitled Surgery and Technology. The inspiration and impetus for this series came at the January 2005 Editorial Board meeting of the IJGO when the Editor, Professor John J. Sciarra, mentioned how quickly endoscopic techniques are being introduced to many parts of Asia. The rapid introduction in my own department at the University of Michigan of minimally invasive surgery, advanced laparoscopic and hysteroscopic procedures, transvaginal tapes and other new techniques for control of incontinence, new suture materials, and robotics suggested to me that we are, in fact, experiencing a global phenomenon. Biomedical engineers and scientists, technology and surgical innovators, industry representatives, physicians and patients were all being inundated with new advances and techniques crossing the boundaries of gynecologic and reproductive surgery, gynecologic oncology and urogynecology. Not only are rapidly emerging new techniques being introduced, but their role in clinical practice, their appropriateness, efficacy, cost, and the very important ethical relationships created between industry, physicians, and patients are all a significant part of the equation. In the United States, there is much less regulation of surgical techniques than there is of drugs. Historically, we have seen that the pharmaceutical industry usually does not easily cross international barriers because of national restrictions, but these same barriers are not in place for technological devices and methodological advances. In fact, with rapid communication facilitated by the Internet and communication technologies, we can anticipate that the technologies and innovations that will be discussed in the Surgery and Technology feature indeed will rapidly be crossing borders, and because of their potential abilities to improve care and reduce costs, we can also anticipate that patients, health systems, and physicians will want to have the benefits promised by these new technologies and methodologies. The purpose of this new feature is to provide cutting-edge information on surgical advances to the global colleagues of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and readers of the IJGO in this rapidly advancing area of surgery and technology. To edit the new feature, the IJGO editors have selected three experts from one institution, the University of Michigan, because of their knowledge and ability to collaborate and quickly provide the very latest information in this field to the readers of the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The feature editors are Dr. Dee Fenner, an expert in urogynecology and female pelvic floor disorders; Dr. Kevin Reynolds, a gynecologic oncologist; and Dr. Arnold Advincula, an endoscopist and robotic surgeon. Professors Fenner, Reynolds, and Advincula will introduce new techniques, instruments, methods, and materials, and provide balanced discussions and critical assessments of their quality, importance, reliability, and safety; the feature editors will also inform readers about the ethical and legal implications that these advances might bring in clinical practice. We anticipate a quarterly series that we hope will begin a global dialogue on the very latest aspects of Surgery and Technology.