Transluminal Natural-Orifice Surgical Access: A Documentary Record of Independent Prior Art (Provisional Priority 1999)

Purpose of this deposit This deposit assembles, in one permanent and citable location, the primary documents that record an independent and early description of transluminal, natural-orifice access to the thoracic and abdominal cavities for surgical intervention — the approach later widely termed Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). The purpose is documentary, not adversarial. This record makes no claim of misconduct by any individual or institution, and seeks no financial remedy. It is provided to make a set of already-dated public and private documents durably available for citation, teaching, and independent scholarly scrutiny, so that historical accounts of transluminal surgery can reflect the full documentary record.