[Multi-instruments cannula: a new concept of laparoscopy].

Objectives: Five or six perforations of the abdominal wall increase the possibilities of organ injury, infection, or hernia. Laparoscopy originally offered great advantages and significant progress. Multiple abdominal ports are now considered superfluous, excessively traumatic and, today, hardly merit the term 'minimally-invasive-surgery'.

[New master arm for transurethral resection with a robot].

Objective: In 1998, we designed a robot for transurethral resection that consisted of a master arm and a slave arm that reproduced the movements of the master. We describe the innovative master arm developed in two university departments that supersedes the mere "joystick" concept to become a true, operative surgical instrument.

Methods: The new master arm was developed from a conventional resectoscope working element integrated into a robotic manipulative device and fitted with angular displacement sensors.