Laparoscopic transumbilical single-port appendectomy: initial experience and comparison with three-port appendectomy

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Surgical Techniques
• Gastrointestinal Surgery

Background:

• Conventional laparoscopic appendectomy typically requires three ports.
• Single-port appendectomy (SA) aims to reduce port sites for improved cosmesis.
• Transumbilical SA offers a potentially less invasive approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the feasibility and postoperative outcomes of single-port appendectomy (SA) versus conventional three-port appendectomy (TA).
• To evaluate operative time, analgesic requirements, complication rates, and hospital stay for both techniques.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 35 patients undergoing SA and 37 patients undergoing TA.
• Analysis of surgical outcomes including operation time, analgesic use, complications, and hospital stay.
• Data collected between October 2008 and January 2009.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed between SA and TA in operation time, analgesic injections, complication rates, or hospital stay.
• The most frequent complication in both groups was wound infection.
• SA resulted in nearly inconspicuous abdominal scars compared to TA.

Conclusions:

• Single-port appendectomy (SA) is a feasible surgical option.
• SA demonstrates comparable postoperative outcomes to conventional three-port appendectomy (TA).
• SA offers cosmetic benefits with scarless surgery and does not require specialized instrumentation.