Since 1987, when EA Wickham coined the term “minimally invasive procedure” in British Medical Journal (1), it was clear that the efforts of IbnSina, who used candles and sunlight in surgical operations from the beginning of 6th century (2), have advanced in a new direction to create a new approach to surgery. A minimally invasive procedure is distinct from a noninvasive procedure. These procedures may result in a shorter hospital stay or allow outpatient treatment. When there is minimal damage to biological tissues at the point of entry of instrument(s), the procedure is called minimally invasive. A minimally invasive surgery (MIS) typically involves the use of endoscopic devices, remote-controlled instruments, indirect observation of the operative field through an endoscope, or the use of similar devices, and is performed through the skin or through anatomical openings.We searched medical databases like Pubmed and ISI web of sciences using the terms “endoscopic surgery” or “minimally invasive” and found 36,484 published articles. We calculated that the number of papers published between 2006 and 2011, was about four times the number of papers published before 2000 (n = 7456 vs. n = 25478). These statistics indicate the importance and evolution of this new field of science. They also underline the increase in the number of scientists and researchers in the field of minimally invasive surgical sciences (3). However, the Journal Citation Report in the ISI web of knowledge showed that in 2010, there were 187 indexed journals on MIS. Thus, there is a major gap between the number of researchers in this field and the published journals. Considering the necessity of establishing new journals for researchers, we proposed to establish and publish our journal titled, “Minimally Invasive Surgical Sciences”. This journal is the official journal of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Endoscopic Surgery Association (MMESA) and MIS research center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. MMESA connects scientists in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries while the MIS research center attempts to connect scientists from Iran and countries bordering the Caspian Sea. MMESA connects surgeons in European countries with Middle Eastern and North African MIS surgeons and was been established by Prof. J. Melloti in 1990. This organization is a non-profit, non-governmental body that aims to connect researchers in this field and promote MIS scientists from the above-mentioned regions. Scientific productivity is increasing in different regions of the world,and the scientific productivity of the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the highest among all countries of the Middle East region. Due to the important role of planning in achieving the top position in this region, we aimed to establish a unique research center for MIS scientists. Thus, the MIS research center was established in 2009 that Supports journal as well. The journal of Minimally Invasive Surgical Sciences (MinSurgery) is a clinical journal officially published by the MMESA and the MIS Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and it targets all clinicians active in the field of MIS. This journal was founded in 2011 by “Professor Abdolreza Pazouki” and “Professor Jose M. Schiappa”. The Journal is a peer-review compilation of interdisciplinary findings and global research on MIS and includes original manuscripts, meta-analyses and reviews, health economic papers, debates, and consensus statements of clinical relevance in MIS. In addition, consensus evidential reports not only highlight new observations, original studies, results accompanied by innovative treatments, and all other relevant topics, but also include elucidation of disease mechanisms, important clinical observations, and letters on articles published in the journal. The journal welcomes all types of manuscripts and other scientific communications, including original manuscripts, meta-analyses and reviews, health economic papers, debates, and consensus statements of clinical relevance in MIS (4). To ensure that both surgical and non-surgical procedures are addressed equally, the scope of this journal includes surgical sciences as well as non-surgical methods. Articles from streams such as cardiology, pain and anesthesiology, gastroenterology, pulmonology can be submitted to the journal. In the last decade, all surgical techniques have been modified to use the MIS approach, primarily because of the less invasive procedures and fewer complications. Gynecologists, general surgeons, urologists, orthopedists, neurosurgeons, and ENT specialists use MIS methods in their routine operations. We invite all clinical practitioners, researchers, and surgeons who are active in the field of MIS to submit their valuable papers through our online submission system and provide solutions for the various issues in this field.
Type of Study:
Letter/Editorial |
Subject:
MIS Received: 2011/10/11 | Accepted: 2011/10/25 | ePublished: 2012/08/15