Laparoscopic surgery

To the Editor: The article by Soper et al. (Feb. 10 issue)¹ reviews the development of laparoscopy with respect to general surgery. However, the authors omit a group of surgeons who were the forerunners of today's laparoscopic surgeons. Gynecologists recognized and promoted the benefits of laparoscopic surgery at least 10 years before general surgeons adopted the technique. The work of Semm, Gomel, Bruhat, and Nezhat, among others, played an integral part in the revolution in operative laparoscopy. Many of the technological advances that made laparoscopy what it is today were developed by gynecologists, including the use of cameras with video-recording.