Umbilical laparoendoscopic single-site technique for complete excision of urachal remnant

Infected urachal remnant is an uncommon benign disease but is generally symptomatic and commonly recurs. The standard of care for this disease is complete resection of all anomalous tissue including a bladder cuff to avoid recurrence. Recent minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques can effectively manage this disease, but multiport laparoscopic techniques are reported to still leave scars outside the umbilicus.

A novel technique of umbilical laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) surgery for 2 patients with symptomatic urachal remnant is presented in this study.

In both cases, the entire urachal tissues from the umbilicus to the anterior bladder dome were successfully excised by the umbilical LESS technique without any extra ports or needlescopes. An articulating needle holder enabled water-tight bladder closure, resulting in early removal of the indwelling catheter. Without any signs of infection, the wound healings were completed 4 weeks after surgery in both cases. The patients had no complaints of symptoms at 6 months and 4 months, respectively, after surgery,and they were quite satisfied with their cosmetic results.

We propose that the umbilical LESS technique is a promising surgical option for patients with a symptomatic urachal remnant and that this technique provides satisfactory cosmetic results.