Eight patients at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary had their operations watched by hundreds of people as they were broadcast live from the operating theatre to a global conference in the city.
The patients gave their consent for 3D footage of their keyhole procedures to be shared in real-time with experts who had gathered at AECC yesterday.
A weight-loss operation, a hernia repair and a gall-stone investigation were among those carried out in front of the audience.
Two operating theatres at ARI were given over especially for the event, organised by the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland.
Simon Dexter, the group’s honorary secretary, said patients were usually happy to be filmed.
He said: “From the patient’s perspective, it must be reassuring that their surgeon is willing to do their operation in front of this number of people.”
Mr Dexter said the conference had drawn experts in laparoscopic surgery from around the world to Aberdeen.
He added: “Our members here are interested in the technological side of things and in pushing boundaries. We bring together new developments and people here are enthusiastic to see them in use.”
Up to 300 delegates witnessed the series of operations through 3D glasses to give the highest clarity possible.
Viewers were transported into the patient’s body to see the meticulous work being carried out by a number of specialists, including the Queen’s Surgeon in Scotland, Professor Zyg Krukowski.
Also on stage was Professor Chinnusamy Palanivelu – described by organisers as the best keyhole surgeon in the world.
He showed a film produced last week at the GEM Hospital in India which featured tumours being removed from the pancreas.
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said ARI had long been at the forefront of developments in laparoscopic surgery.
She added: “We are delighted to welcome the prestigious ALSGBI conference which demonstrates state of the art technology.
“We congratulate all the staff involved and thank the patients who made this very special event possible.”