Development of computer systems for endoscopic surgery.

The use of computer technology in endoscopic surgery is a necessity if more advanced and high quality minimal invasive operations are to be performed. Since safety and reliability are a major issue in medical applications, the development of computer systems has to follow a systematic procedure including quality assurance and be supervised by project management as employed in such safety-relevant areas as aerospace and nuclear energy. An overview of the early phases of this development process and of the major tests during the process is presented.