About NSALK

NSALK is a national center for advanced laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery, providing training, research and quality assurance of operative procedures. The head of the center is Dr. Ronald Mårvik.


As a national center, NSALK’s vision is to increase the use and quality of laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery by:

  1. Improving and spreading expertise and skills in laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery, ensuring that this expertise benefits all Norwegian hospitals
  2. Developing new operation methods and medical technology based on clinical needs
  3. Improving existing and introducing new methods in innovative minimally invasive treatment through research testing, quality assurance, training and counselling

NSALK is an interdisciplinary organisation working together with NTNU (the Norwegian University of Science and Technology), FOR (The Future Operating Room), the SINTEF  research group and other technology centers. This collaborative effort has produced a number of technical inventions, such as SonoDoppler, the new instrument Volargrip™ and CustusX which is a new platform for navigation and 3D ultrasound in laparoscopic surgery. VolargripTM is a laparoscopic tool with a grip that can be adapted to the surgeon’s hands and fits both left-handed and right-handed surgeons.

The design has been developed and tested in close cooperation between users at Trondheim University Hospital (St.Olavs Hospital) and University Hospital Tübingen in Germany and designers from the Trondheim-based company Surgitech Norway AS.

One of the center’s main focal areas is research and testing in telemedicine, a field which is eminently suitable for laparoscopic surgery. Surgical operations can be demonstrated and discussed online, and surgeons at different hospitals can assist each other. This technology opens for entirely new perspectives in training and follow-up of staff through simple and cost-effective video conferences. At our courses, the teaching material is imported from various national and international centers of expertise.

NSALK is an associated member of the European Institute of Telesurgery and the Asian Institute of Telesurgery.

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