What To Know About Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery

By Margaret Bailey


Advancements in technology are leading to the invention of better and new approaches to surgical procedures in all fields of medicine. Single incision laparoscopic surgery, often abbreviated as SILS also goes by several other names. Some of those names include Single-port laparoscopy (SPL), single-port incisionlless conventional equipment-using surgery, single-port access surgery (SPA), and Single-access endoscopic surgery. Additional names are natural-orifice trannsumbilical surgery (NOTUS), laparo-endoscopic singular-site surgery (LESS), and one-port umbilical surgery (OPUS).

SILS as a technique in laparoscopic surgery is still relatively new because it was only developed recently. Because this method utilizes a single entry point into the body, it is referred to as minimally invasive. The navel is the major entry point used on most patients. Only a small scar remains after the process has been done, which is one of the reasons why this process is preferred by many people.

The entry point can be made into a 20 mm or 11mm incision. The importance of utilizing only a single entry point is to minimize pain and scarring. This is opposed to traditional laparoscopic surgical procedure in which multiple entry point are made and used. New York is home to some of the most well-trained and qualified specialists in this kind of procedure. Thus it would be a great place to consider visiting if one needs such a process done to them.

Specialized surgical instruments in use by SILS fall into two wide categories. These wide categories are access ports instruments and hand instruments. Some of the access ports instruments are TriPort15, the Uni-X, SILS gadgets, TriPort+, GelPOINT system, and QuadPort+. The devices are designed and made by different companies.

Conversely, three major configurations of hand instruments exist today. They are pre-bent rigid, standard, and articulating configurations. The development of standard hand tools has been happening for more than the previous 30 years. Rigid design is used in making them. SPL reduced triangulation instrument challenge has been solved through the invetion of articulation hand instruments.

Surgeons usually have to choose whether to utilize articulating or standard instruments and that decision is often influenced by a few factors. Some of the factors include, access port used, surgical skills of the surgeon, and cost. In terms of cost, articulating instruments are considerably more expensive than standard instruments. The use of specialized devices makes this surgical procedure more effective and safer.

The awareness of SILS among surgical practitioners is at a high level. Despite that fact, the application of SILS is restricted to a small number of surgeons. This is because it is complex, uses specialized instruments, and the space of access is limited. It takes a high level of training and skills to be able to perform the process. That plus many other factors have limited the number of people who engage in the process and it has also promoted a negative outlook from the public.

A wide variety of surgeries makes use of SILS. Common examples comprise of sleeve gastrectomy, colectomy, adjustable gastric banding, appendectomy, nephrectomy, sacrocolpopexy, and hysterectomy among others. In European nations and the US, standard instruments are in wide usage when compared to specialized ones used in many other countries out of these two regions.




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