In the last 10 years there has been a global shift towards the use of minimally invasive surgery in place of traditional open surgical procedures

March 14, 2006—In the last 10 years there has been a global shift towards the use of minimally invasive surgery in place of traditional open surgical procedures. This trend is especially evident in cardiovascular, endoscopy, gynecology, general surgery, orthopedic, and urology procedures. The move to minimally invasive surgery is providing benefits not only to the patient, but also to the physician and hospital. These procedures offer shorter preparation, operation, and recovery time and reduce the risk of complications that can arise from open surgery. Consequently, physicians are able to perform a higher volume of procedures and patients are able to return sooner to their normal routines.

The adoption of minimally invasive procedures is particularly significant in the field of cardiovascular surgery. While the use of stents for peripheral vascular indications as a whole is growing at 10.3%, one subsegment of this procedure—the use of stents for carotid indications—will grow at more than double that rate over the forecast period. This strong growth is attributed to promising clinical trials, approval from the Food and Drug Administration, and the recent authorization of stents for carotid indications granted by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Another noteworthy area of growth in the field of orthopedics is Kyphoplasty, which is a minimally invasive treatment of vertebral compression fractures. In the US, over the next 5 years there will be growth of 2.3% in overall spinal fusion procedures, but growth of almost 21% in Kyphoplasty procedures. The popularity of Kyphoplasty is largely attributed to its ability to reduce pain and minimize the long recovery time that is a hallmark of traditional spinal fusions.

The shift to minimally invasive surgery is also reflected throughout European and Japanese markets. Kyphoplasty, however, is awaiting regulatory approval and is not expected to enter the market until 2010. MRG’s Global Surgical Procedure Volumes 2006 discusses minimally invasive surgery as well as other traditional techniques. It covers over 100 different procedures including anesthetic, cardiovascular, dental, diagnostic imaging, endoscopy, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, urology, and varicose vein markets.