Single-port versus needlescopic versus conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a comparative study

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Gastrointestinal Surgery
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a novel technique aiming for enhanced clinical benefits over standard LC.
• Surgical outcomes of single-port LC require further elucidation compared to established methods.
• This study compares single-port LC with needlescopic and conventional LC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the surgical outcomes of single-port LC, needlescopic LC, and conventional LC.
• To assess key metrics including operation time, hospital stay, complications, and postoperative pain.
• To investigate patient satisfaction and cosmetic results following different LC approaches.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 31 single-port LC, 26 needlescopic LC, and 32 conventional LC cases for symptomatic gallbladder stone disease.
• Analysis of operation time, hospital stay, conversion rates, complications, and pain scores (visual analog scale).
• Patient interviews for overall satisfaction and cosmetic outcome assessment.

Main Results:

• Single-port LC demonstrated significantly better cosmetic satisfaction than conventional LC (P=0.039).
• Operation time was longer in the single-port group (65.1 min) compared to conventional LC (52.2 min) (P=0.012).
• No significant differences were observed in hospital stay, pain scores, or overall satisfaction among the groups.

Conclusions:

• Single-port LC is a feasible and safe procedure with superior cosmetic results compared to conventional LC.
• The technique shows promise but requires further prospective randomized studies to establish its superiority.
• Current findings suggest single-port LC as a viable alternative for select patients undergoing cholecystectomy.