From
Dr. Jeffrey Ponsky
ACS Icons in Surgery | Jeffrey L. Ponsky, MD, FACS
With Dr. Jeffrey Ponsky
Part of
Cancer 6 items
Chapter 1 of 6 · Fundamentals
Early life
Early Life and Path to Surgery
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Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
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What the experts said
Basil Morrison in England was marking the tips of polyps with India ink to track polyp behavior over time.
Endoscopic marking of colonic lesions with India ink was developed in 1975 to enable surgeons to locate polypectomy sites when pathology revealed cancer.
India ink tattooing remains useful in the laparoscopic era when surgeons cannot palpate the colon to locate lesion sites.
The first endoscope cost $5,200 in 1974.
In the mid-1970s, endoscopes were cleaned with green soap before use.
Transillumination of the abdominal wall during pediatric endoscopy, where the endoscope light shone through the belly and finger indentation was visible, led to development of the PEG procedure.
Jacques Perrisat presented a video on laparoscopic cholecystectomy at a SAGES meeting in Louisville, Kentucky in 1989.
The American Board of Surgery asked SAGES to nominate three members for a board director position representing minimally invasive surgery.
Ponsky contributed to the American Board of Surgery by developing educational components for minimally invasive surgery, creating examination questions, and establishing endoscopy training requirements for surgical residents.
The endoscope should be conceptualized as a vehicle like a car or bus that transports surgeons to operative sites rather than primarily as a tool for mucosal inspection.
Surgeons use the endoscope as a vehicle to reach sites for operations including POEM, POP, Zenker's procedures, and NOTES.
Dr. Jeff Ponsky's impact on surgical endoscopy has been foundational through academic advancement of technology and technique, mentorship, and leadership in professional organizations like ASGE and SAGES to bring gastroenterology and surgery together in endoscopy.
Dr. Ponsky served as director and chair of the American Board of Surgery, president of both ASGE and SAGES, and vice president of the American Surgical Association and SSAT.
Dr. Ponsky trained 35 endoscopic surgery fellows who now carry on his legacy.