Basics Relating To Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery

By Edward Thomas


Surgery has evolved in a great way in the last few decades. Unlike in the past, when the main objective was to restore functionality, cosmesis appear to carry a lot of significance these days. In Ne York city for example, patients are increasingly requesting for smaller incisions so as to reduce the sizes of scars. This is perhaps what gave rise to laparoscopic surgery and most recently, single incision laparoscopic surgery. In this article we explore what exactly this operation is and what its benefits and downsides are.

Laparoscopic surgeries use three to five openings that are much smaller than the incision used for open surgeries. In single incision surgery only one is required. General anesthesia is usually required just as is the case with many other operations. Other terms used to describe the technique include single port laparoscopy, SPL, and single port access surgery, SPA.

The technique is used for a wide range of conditions. These include gall bladder removal (cholesystectomy), removal of the appendix, repair of hernias and in pelvic surgeries such as the removal of the uterus and the ovary. As it continues to gain acceptance in the community of surgeons, this list is bound to increase even further.

One of the advantages is that there is less pain as compared to the traditional approach of laparoscopy. As a result, the patients tend to heal a lot faster. It also yields better results cosmetically bearing in mind that only a small opening is made. The main undoing would be the fact that it is marginally expensive than the traditional methods primarily due to the specialized equipment that is used.

It is important to mention that using the technique is a lot more cumbersome than the traditional methods. Using the same opening for all the instruments may not be that easy for surgeons who are not adequately experienced. This is because instrument crowding obscures the view and the distance from the incision site to the target site is often longer. As a result, the risk of intraoperative injury is higher than in other methods without proper training.

The option is not suitable for persons that are very obese, those with a history of other operations and those with a grossly enlarged abdominal organ. In the event that it is not possible to complete the operation using the single incision, an additional port will be created to proceed with the traditional approach. This happens in 5% to 10% of cases. The open technique may be required in rare circumstances.

Just as is the case with any surgical operation, risks exist. Bleeding and infections are the most common but their incidence is a lot lower than what is seen with other techniques. Incisional hernias, a common complications of open operations, is a very rare occurrence.

Single incision surgery is a specialist procedure that continues to rise in popularity among surgeons and patients. Due to its minimal invasive nature, the risks that are usually associated with operations are markedly reduced. Gynecology and pediatrics are the two fields of medicine that have readily embraced the technique.




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