The enticement of scarless surgery has created an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm and collaboration amongst surgeons, gastroenterologists, industry, and the lay public. However, major hurdles remain between current minimally invasive practices and the ultimate goal of safe, effective Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). In an ideal world, these procedures should incur equivalent (or less) morbidity than current laparoscopic approaches and offer benefits of incisionless surgery. This idealism has been quickly tempered by the potential to create new and devastating complications with only minimal potential benefit to the patient. Several critical questions need to be answered. What probability of complication(s) are to be accepted? How will the potential benefits of NOTES be weighed against these new complications? What factors unique to NOTES will contribute to its cost effectiveness? The proposed study seeks to answer these questions before they occur. These results will give clinicians and investigators the necessary information with which to compare outcomes of NOTES and potentially alter techniques for safer, more effective interventions.
