New Device Can Perform Surgery Without Cutting

BOSTON (CBS) - Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a device that can perform surgery without cutting the skin.

It is a specialized microscope that uses an infrared laser beam to quickly scan tissue looking for suspicious lesions or abnormalities. Once identified, surgeons can intensify the heat produced by the laser and effectively treat the area within tissue without cutting through the skin or disturbing surrounding healthy structures.

They say it could one day be used to treat any structure of the body that can be reached by light and requires precise treatment like nerves or blood vessels in the brain and other organs or even for cancerous skin lesions.