Dear Dr.Tsin,

First up, Its an honor to interact with you Sir. I've read many of your publications, especially the ones on reduced port surgery. I'm doing my own version of 'scar-less' laparoscopic surgery in benign gynecology, but that's another story.

Regarding the subject of Transvaginal Endoscopic Appendectomy, I'm aware of the pioneering work you did over the last 15 years in this area. Our team actually did & published pure NOTES appendectomy in 2008. Here's the link:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18347865

Dear Dr. Rangarajan,

First the honor is mine.

I thank you for your recognition.

My response was regarding the above publication of Dr. Shin et al in relation to hybrid transvaginal appendectomy,that you kindly placed in your publication (Reference 17). The fact is that the term Culdolaparoscopy was used before the acronym NOTES was ever used.

Your'e right Dr.Tsin - NOTES appendectomy uses the posterior colpotomy route for the scope to enter the peritoneal cavity

The  same month  Drs. Bernhardt J, Gerber B, Schober HC, Kähler G , Ludwig K. Published : NOTES--case report of a unidirectional flexible appendectomy.Int J Colorectal Dis. 2008 May;23(5):547-50. PMID: 18256848

History of Natural Orifice Transvaginal Endoscopic Surgery

http://www.slideshare.net/tsin/history-of-natural-orifice-transvaginal-endoscopic-surgery

 Historically :  

 J. de Soboleff. Appendectomy accompanying Vaginal  Celiotomy . Monatsschrift für Geburtshülfe und Gynäkologie. Berlin,   published in 1910.

Soboleff J. de. Die Appendektomie als begleitende Operation bei vaginalen Coeliotomien.

Monatsschrift für Geburtshilfe und Gynäkologie 1910;32(Suppl 1):46–48 (DOI:10.1159/000289337)

 Historically Dr. D.O. Ott performed a ventroscopy appendectomy during vaginal hysterectomy on April 26, 1906 and was published in 1908  : Ott D.O. (1908). Results achieved by the use of direct illumination of the abdominal cavity, colon and urinary bladder during operations and for examination. Russky Vrach 43: 3-11.

The terms colpotomy , vaginotomy and vaginal celiotomy was used for the transvaginal access to the peritoneum using the anterior o posterior fornix as well as the circular colpotomy ( during vaginal hysterectomy prior to closing the vault ). Culdotomy is a technique via the posterior cul-de-sac .

During the meeting of NOTES at the Asociación Mexicana de Cirugia General held on November 26, 2008 . Dr. Leopoldo Gutierrez Rodriguez said that Dr. Gutireez Najar performed a transvaginal appendectomy 30 years ago. unpublished 

Matched-Pair Vergleichsanalyse der laparoskopischen vs. NOS-Appendektomie zur Evaluation und Etablierung einer neuen Operationsmethode

Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades

“Letztlich griff man auf die Erfahrungen aus der Gynäkologie und die Erfolge der Laparoskopie zurück und entwickelte eine transvaginale Hybrid-NOTES- Methode (in der Gynäkologie Culdolaparoskopie).” Jablonski, Lukasz