The papers published in this issue have great research and clinical merits. Ten papers concern minimally invasive surgery, mainly laparoscopic. These are the papers from the CMKP Clinical Ward of General Surgery and GIT Surgery. Some of them are original papers presenting the authors’ own work.

Pioneering on a national scale are the papers describing the treatment results of achalasia using laparoscopic cardiomyotomy in combination with Nissen fundoplication (Ciesielski A. et al.) and the treatment of morbid obesity using laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (Binda A. et al.). The authors present in both papers the very encouraging preliminary treatment results.

An important paper is the publication by Prof. W. Tarnowski presenting very good early results of colorectal cancer treatment using the laparoscopic technique. In 73 patients conversion was performed in 17% of cases, and the level of anastomosis leakage was only 4.1%. In my opinion these are very good results. Dr Grous A. et al. presents the treatment results of large abdominal hernias, most often post-operative, using the IPOM method. The authors had to perform conversion only in one case. The preliminary results for the IPOM method are very encouraging and justify further performance of such surgery. Original papers on the use of laparoscopic techniques are presented by authors from the CMKP Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic (Surynt E. et al.). In 17 patients they performed removal of uterine fibroids by a laparoscopic method. According to the authors, this method is safe and effective. Thanks to these experiences the Gynaecology Clinic joined the group of leading Polish centres using minimally invasive technique for treatment of uterine fibroids.

The series of papers devoted to minimally invasive techniques is completed by a very good paper by P.L. Chłosta, presenting the first experiences in extraperitoneal laparoscopic prostatectomy. This is an original and valuable paper worth noting and paying attention to – very innovative.

Paper by T. Drewa and P.L. Chłosta presents the new use of prostate cancer stem cells in the treatment of patients with disseminated neoplastic disease. This is a very important and pioneering paper on the world scale.

Another five review papers concern important clinical problems. Infection with Clostridium difficile, in particular in the perioperative period, is not very well known in surgical circles. In the paper the risk factors, symptoms and treatment methods, as well as methods of prevention of C. difficile infection, are presented (Bielecki K.). In the next three review papers the authors present modern views on the risk factors of bile duct injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (Kozicki I. et al.), and on minimally invasive surgery of the thyroid (Durowicz et al.), and the critical assessment of minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (Borycka-Kiciak K. et al.). In these papers the authors present their own preliminary results of the discussed methods of surgical treatment. In the Clinical Ward of General Surgery and GIT Surgery, repair operations of bile duct injuries that took place during laparoscopic surgery have already been performed for many years. In the Clinic operations on the thyroid using a minimally invasive method (MIVAT) have already been performed. From the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic comes a review paper on endoscopic myomectomy (Surynt E. et al.).

The papers published in the current issue of Postępy Nauk Medycznych are very innovative and important. They show that the centres the papers come from are the leading clinics of minimally invasive surgery in Poland. In these clinics patients are treated with modern methods, and physicians have the possibility to learn new surgical techniques.