Laparoscopic surgery

1. A method of carrying out laparoscopic surgery to remove a specimen from the body of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) providing a laparoscopic port which comprises tubular housing, an inflatable cuff around the distal end of the housing, an insufflation nozzle which is in fluid communication with the inflatable cuff, and a locking ring which can be passed over the proximal end of the housing and secured relative to the housing at different points along the length of the housing, and positioning the laparoscopic port through the skin of the patient so that the distal end of the laparoscopic port is in a body cavity and the proximal end of the laparoscopic port is outside the patient;

(ii) providing a laparoscopic bag which has a top portion and a body portion, and only one opening which is in the top portion, and passing the laparoscopic bag through the laparoscopic port into the body cavity;

(iii) placing the specimen into the body portion of laparoscopic bag;

(iv) passing the top portion of the laparoscopic bag out through the skin of the patient, before or after removing the tubular housing of the laparoscopic port from the patient's body;

(v) inserting the tubular housing of the laparoscopic port back inside the top portion of the laparoscopic bag so that the distal end of the housing is in the body cavity;

(vi) inflating the inflatable cuff of the tubular housing using the insufflation nozzle, passing the locking ring over the proximal end of the housing, and locking the locking ring against the housing so that the top portion of the bag and the skin of the patient are gripped between the inflatable cuff and the locking ring;

(vii) attaching the top portion of the laparoscopic bag to a sheath, which comprises a tube of medical-grade waterproof material;

(viii) placing a mechanical morcellator through the sheath into the laparoscopic bag;

(ix) morcellating the specimen under irrigation in the laparoscopic bag; and

(x) removing the morcellated specimen from the body of the patient through the top of the laparoscopic bag and the sheath.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a nephroscope is passed through the tubular housing into the bag, preferably wherein the morcellator is passed though the nephroscope.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the irrigation is carried out at an irrigation pressure of between 20 mmHg and 300 mmHg, preferably around 100 mmHg.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the irrigation liquid is water, saline solution, or a glycine or glucose isotonic solution.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laparoscopic housing comprises an exterior housing, external to the tubular housing.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laparoscopic bag is attached to the sheath with attaching means comprises either a ridge that is capable of forming a zip-lock fit with housing on a sheath, or housing that is capable of forming a zip-lock fit with a ridge on the sheath.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laparoscopic port comprises two channels, and the mechanical morcellator is passed through one channel with means for direct vision of the specimen, and the irrigation tube is passed through the other channel, wherein preferably the means for direct vision of the specimen is a nephroscope.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical morcellator includes a suction device that carries irrigation liquid away from the laparoscopic bag.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laparoscopic bag comprises an inner layer which is waterproof, a middle layer which is resistant to morcellation, and an outer layer which is waterproof.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the middle layer of the laparoscopic bag comprises a film or mesh, preferably wherein the middle layer comprises a mesh, and most preferably wherein the film or mesh is made of heavy-duty plastic, metallic wires or carbon fibres.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the inner layer of the laparoscopic bag is white and the middle layer is coloured, textured, or patterned, preferably wherein the middle layer is brightly coloured, most preferably wherein the middle layer is luminous green.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the top portion of the laparoscopic bag is tubular, and the body portion is substantially spherical.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laparoscopic bag is not a laparoscopic bag that comprises: an inner layer which is waterproof; a middle layer which is resistant to morcellation; and an outer layer which is waterproof.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laparoscopic bag comprises 1, 2, 4 or 5 layers.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of the layers is waterproof, and at least one of the layers is resistant to morcellation.