Single-site incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy in children: a single-center initial experience

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard approach in most pediatric surgical centers. In an attempt to further minimize the surgical trauma and improve cosmetic outcome, new techniques with a single incision through the umbilicus have been proposed. There are still few reports concerning this technique in the pediatric population. We evaluated the feasibility of the single incision for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in children. We performed the operation in 10 patients, with a mean age of 12 years, mean operating time of 122 minutes, and mean hospital stay of 2 days. No complications occurred, and no conversion to open surgery was needed. In 1 patient, an extra 5-mm port was necessary. The cosmetic results were very satisfactory. In our experience, despite its technical difficulty and initial learning curve, single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the pediatric population is a safe and feasible method.