Page 56 - IFSO-History-Book-Digital-File

attended the American Society of Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) annual congress in San Diego, where he
completed training in laparoscopic gastric bypass under Drs. Wittgrove and Clark and visited their
operating room. Wittgrove was using the Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning
TM
(AESOP ), a voice-controlled robotic arm designed to manipulate the laparoscopic camera. This
TM
system, developed by Computer Motion Inc., was followed by the Hermes and Zeus systems,
TM
which, together, laid the foundation for modern robotic-assisted surgery, eventually leading to the
Intuitive company’s Da Vinci system. Angrisani strongly encouraged Wittgrove to highlight this
TM
technology in his lecture. With remarkable clarity and simplicity, Wittgrove explained that, 27 years
earlier, he had anticipated the two major advances that came to define modern minimally invasive
surgery: 3D visualization and robotics.
The First ISLOS meeting in Naples, in March 1999, marked a pivotal moment in the field that
represented the official beginning of the laparoscopic revolution in MBS. During the meeting, the
IFSO Board, under the presidency of Professor George Cowan, invited Angrisani to chair the next
ISLOS symposium within the IFSO World Congress. The ISLOS Symposium continued for the
following four years until its São Paulo, Brazil meeting in 2002, when the IFSO Board decided to
discontinue ISLOS, considering that the transition from open to minimally invasive surgery was
complete.
Surgery, by its very nature, is a craft shaped by the manipulation of biological tissues using
mechanical instruments and is therefore in constant evolution. Great leaders are thinkers who
recognize potential in younger individuals and support their development. Nicola Scopinaro
mentored many and played a key role in the creation of this revolutionary event that ushered
modern laparoscopic technique into MBS.

54