20th International Congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery, EAES 2012

The proceedings contain 815 papers. The topics discussed include: oxidative stress in open and laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal cancer: a randomized controlled study; role of restricted fluid therapy in laparoscopic and open colorectal surgery: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials; a randomized trial comparing open and minimally invasive esophageal resection for cancer; comparison of intracorporeal single‐stapled and double‐stapled anastomosis in laparoscopic low anterior resection: a case control study; is there any role of robot‐assisted distal gastrectomy over laparoscopy‐assisted distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer?; perceiving haptic feedback in virtual reality simulators; optimizing abdominal working space in laparoscopy: the role of mechanical bowel preparation; and optical characterization of fresh human colonic specimen: an initial exploration of the possibilities in laparoscopic colorectal surgery.