Single-port laparoscopic surgery of the distal esophagus: initial clinical experience

Laparoscopic fundoplication (LF) is considered to be potentially suitable for single-port surgery because of lack of requirements of organ resection, anastomosis, and specimen retrieval. However, its feasibility and safety have not been fully established. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of single-port LF (sLF) in our institution. sLF was attempted in 11 patients and was completed without the additional ports in 3 patients (27%). The remaining 8 patients required the addition of 1 to 3 ports to complete LF. Median operating time and blood loss were 221 minutes and 20 mL, respectively (intention-to-treat). No major complications were noted. All patients showed uneventful postoperative recovery and clinical improvement of their preoperative symptoms with satisfactory cosmetic outcome. sLF is technically feasible and safe, although the use of extra ports should be positively considered to ensure the safety and quality of LP.