Current surgical techniques that present the entire range of minimally invasive surgery possible today for abdominal and thoracic surgeons from a didactic perspective. This new surgical method is gaining more followers due to its significant advantages – operating with an endoscope and microsurgical instruments through smaller surgical steps. Benefits include: reduced strain on the patient, faster recovery with shorter hospital stays and rehabilitation times. The text is supplemented by 561 instructive illustrations, 171 of which are in color. The text, which outlines the surgical process in clearly distinguishable individual steps, is complemented by didactic graphics. These modern computer graphics shape the appearance of the book and are supplemented by intraoperatively obtained endoscopic color images. Translation of the English edition published in 10/92.