Low-cost laparoscopy for rural areas: the flexible video laparoscope

Trop Doct. 2019 Jan;49(1):68-70. doi: 10.1177/0049475518808622. Epub 2018 Nov 4.

Abstract

Diagnostic laparoscopies are a very useful diagnostic tool especially in rural areas. However, the very high costs of the current diagnostic equipment make them unavailable to most of the rural centres. We describe a low-cost laparoscope that does away with the telescope and rod lens system and offers very good quality pictures for diagnostic laparoscopy at small fraction of the cost of current laparoscopic surgical instruments.

Keywords: Surgery; treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Design
  • Hospitals, Rural
  • Humans
  • Laparoscopes*
  • Laparoscopy / economics*
  • Laparoscopy / instrumentation*
  • Rural Health Services