Appendectomy with single-port laparoscopic transumbilical surgery.

PURPOSE Acute appendicitis is among the most common emergency conditions in surgical practice and appendectomy is the most common treatment. Single-port (SP) laparoscopic transumbilical surgery has emerged in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to describe SP laparoscopic transumbilical surgery procedure performed in three patients undergoing appendectomy. METHODS Three patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis were operated with SP laparoscopic transumbilical surgery technique. Patient's gender, age, BMI, operation time and length of hospital stay were recorded. RESULTS Three patients (2 female, 1 male) with a mean age of 38 (range 28-48) years underwent appendectomy. The mean postoperative length of stay was 1 day. The mean operative time was 35 minutes (range 30-45 minutes). No scar formation was observed and incisions were nearly invisible in the umbilicus in all patients. CONCLUSION SP laparoscopic transumbilical appendectomy is a safe, effective and reliable technique leading potentially scarless abdominal surgery. Even though SP laparoscopic transumbilical surgery cannot substitute laparoscopic appendectomy for the moment, it is assumed that this procedure will become widespread by putting novel instruments into practice.