geons see it, and see how well it works, the
light bulb goes on right away.
4. It's not for every patient. Some think
that a high BMI makes mini-lap impossible.
That's wrong. (A high BMI does make it more
challenging, but it makes every surgery more
challenging.) Some say because the instru-
mentation is smaller and sharper, it may trau-
matize patients. Not true. I think we're a little
behind the curve in the United States, in part
because we have the highest BMIs in the
world. In Latin America, South America and
Europe — places where culturally, people are
very concerned about the appearance of their
bodies and about scarring — mini-lap has
become a phenomenon. There are social net-
working sites where people show off pictures
of themselves after having mini-lap surgeries.
Remember, though, high BMI doesn't have to
be a deal-breaker, once you know what you're
doing.
5. It's more expensive. Mini-lap instru-
ments are typically less expensive than those
of standard laparoscopic surgery. What's
more, most companies are making their
instruments reusable, so the cost per case is
extremely low, only a few dollars.
J U L Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 6 7
