Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1999

good examples.' The rest is history Is Endoscopy Less Risky? Is endoscopic surgery safer than conventional surgery? The answer is yes and no. Because of the absence of a large incision, many of the complications associated with a large wound can be avoided. On the other hand, the same procedure has to be achieved by using tiny instruments inserted either through the endoscope or through small puncture holes. Technically the job is more difficult for the doctor, who has to acquire special skills before he can perform this kind of surgery. Endoscopic surgery entails smaller wounds. Less Harm Done to the Immune System So has all the effort been simply for the sake of reducing patient suffering? Endoscopic surgery means more than that. The detrimental effects of traditional surgery to the immune system are well known. As the Chinese say, it hurts the yuan chi, or the natural energy of the body. Comparatively endoscopic operation does far less harm in this respect. This has great implications especially for cancer patients for whom the body's immunity is of crucial importance. The Chinese University is presently studying the effects of endoscopic surgery on the human immune system. Outstanding Achievements After years' of development this new technology has transcended the boundaries of general surgery and extended into paediatric surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics and even neurosurgery. It is now possible to perform certain kinds of brain surgery with tiny endoscopes! This highly versatile surgery is developing very well in the Prince of Wales Hospital and has put CUHK on the cutting edge internationally. Not long ago Prof. Chung worked with colleagues in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology to perform laparoscopic spinal fusion for a patient w i th a slipped intervertebral disc, the first such operation in Southeast Asia. Last year the paediatric surgery team used mi n i a t u r i zed instruments to pe r f o rm a p r ima ry single stage laparoscopic-assisted pullthrough for a 12-day-old infant. It was the first successful operation of its kind in the world. International Training Centre The Chinese University of Hong Kong has acted as an important international training centre in these new techniques. Ever since 1985 CUHK has been conducting international workshops on therapeutic endoscopy where endoscopic procedures are relayed live to Medical Teaching and Research at CUHK 21