Supplies manufactured by Ethicon, like sutures and trocars (used for laparoscopic surgery), would become obsolete because of new product developments by the company.

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In other cases, ectopic pregnancy is treated with laparoscopic surgery.

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Then, on the following day, the doctors were asked to perform a series of simulated operations via a virtual reality program used to train doctors in laparoscopic surgery, a form of minimally invasive surgery performed with tiny incisions and a fiber-optic camera.

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In a separate study published this week, Dr. Paraiso and colleagues randomly assigned 53 hysterectomy patients to either laparoscopic or robotic surgery.

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In a January study, Finnish researchers found nearly half of 48 patients who had a Nissen laparoscopic procedure, as the traditional surgery is called, were experiencing bloating and flatulence 15 years later.

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Because robotic surgery is faster and easier to learn than laparoscopic techniques, more surgeons can offer it, the company says.

WSJ: Study Raises Doubts Over Robotic Surgery