Early experience with elective single-port laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy in day-case surgery.

BACKGROUND: Single incision laparoscopy aims to reduce access trauma and facilitate specimen extraction. We report our early experience and describe the learning curve for single-port laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy as a primer for more advanced single-port laparoscopic procedures.

METHODS: From June 2009 to February 2010, all consecutive patients undergoing elective single-port appendectomy and cholecystectomy at the day surgical centre were included. A prospective database with perioperative data was created.

RESULTS: Ten appendectomies and 4 cholecystectomies were done in 13 patients, predominantly males (77%), with a mean age of 45 years and a mean BMI of 23 kg/m2. The mean operative time was 31 minutes and 75 minutes for appendectomy and cholecystectomy, respectively. One extra trocar was placed in the first two cholecystectomies, to improve exposure and allow cholangiography. All patients did well at a median follow-up of 5.8 months and no wound infections, nor incisional hernias were detected.

CONCLUSION: Single-port laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy is safe and feasible with a short learning curve and has good outcome.