The "folded" glove-finger in minimally invasive surgery: easy, quick and cheap specimen retrieval

Laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery often require extraction of surgical specimens. The use of standard retrieval bag can be expensive, especially in case of multiple specimens during the same operation. We describe the use of a folded glove-finger as cheap alternative and easily reproducible means of specimen extraction. The medium finger of a glove, cut at its base, was used to locate several types of specimens. The edge of the glove was folded to allow an easier insertion and retrieval of the specimens. Using this technique in the last 5 years, we have retrieved hundreds of different types of specimens (including omentum, lymph nodes, appendix, peritoneal or pleural biopsies) during laparoscopic and thoracoscopic procedures. All the retrieval fingers were safely pulled outside and were intact when extracted through the ports with no fragmentation of the specimens. In conclusion, we suggest that a folded glove-finger can be used as an easy, quick and cheap strategy for specimen extraction during laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery.