Single-incision laparoscopic surgery for right hemicolectomy: our initial experience with 10 cases

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Abstract
Published data has confirmed the oncological safety and efficacy of laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Continued surgical innovation has seen the recent resurgence of single-port laparoscopic surgery. We present a series of 10 cases of single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) for right hemicolectomy, with the aim of reaffirming the feasibility and favourable short-term results of this technique. Ten patients underwent SILS for right hemicolectomy using the SILS™ port, between June 2009 and August 2009. A longitudinal periumbilical incision was used as the access point for all cases. Data analysed included age, gender, American Society of Anaesthesiology score, body mass index (BMI), location of disease, duration of surgery, length of incision and duration of hospital stay. Inclusion criteria were no prior abdominal surgery, no intra-abdominal sepsis, no distant metastases and a BMI of 2 (range 18.9–25.6 kg/m2). The median duration of surgery and hospital stay was 83 min (range 60–125 min) and 6 days (range 5–11 days), respectively. No morbidity or mortality was associated with this technique, and all patients recovered uneventfully. This case series illustrates that SILS for right hemicolectomy is feasible and safe. However, the routine use of this innovative technique in malignant disease cannot be recommended without further large-scale prospective trials.