Just one cut to remove gall bladder

BANGALORE: Removal of the gall bladder for gall bladder stones, one of the most widely performed operation in the country, can now be done utilizing a single incision (surgical opening) that leaves no visible scar, in contrast to four incisions made to accommodate various surgical instruments.
A 56-year old woman from Bellary successfully underwent the single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Manipal Hospital.Doctors removed her gall bladder through a single surgical opening through her belly button, resulting in no visible scar. This paves the way for the development of a modified single port (entry point) technique in minimal access surgery.
In the conventional laparoscopic procedure, in addition to the umbilical incision to pass the laparoscope, at least three more incisions are made in the upper right abdomen, just below the ribs.
So this new technique not only provides a cosmetic enhancement for the patient, it results in lesser post-operative pain and shorter recovery time.
Dr G Srikanth, consultant surgical gastroenterologist, Manipal Institute of Liver and Digestive Diseases, who operated on the patient, says that articulating instruments were used and an incision less than one inch was made during the operation. The patient was discharged within 24 hours after the procedure.
At present, this new procedure can be done for selected patients who have had some episodes of pain and not for complicated cases. The cost of the procedure is almost the same as the conventional one. This approach of utilizing a single incision could also be extended to other abdominal operations performed laparoscopically, said Dr Srikanth.
Unfortunately, there are just a handful of centres that conduct single-incision laparoscopic procedures in the country. It is due to lack of awareness, and not many specialists are trained to perform this procedure.
Dr Srikanth, who was trained to perform this procedure in the US, says the initial trend from open to laparoscopic surgery was to use smaller incisions. And at present, it is to decrease the number of incisions necessary to perform minimal access surgery.
ADVANTAGES
* Single surgical opening made
* Leaves no visible scar
* Less post-operative pain
* Early recovery
GALL BLADDER AND STONES
* Gall bladder is a small non-vital organ which aids in the digestive process and concentrates bile produced in the liver
* Gallstones may develop in the gall bladder and elsewhere in the biliary tract. If gallstones are symptomatic and cannot be dissolved, gall bladder may have to be surgically removed (known as cholecystectomy)