Wednesday, May 11, 2016

What To Know About Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery

By Margaret Bailey


Advancements in technology are leading to the invention of better and new approaches to surgical procedures in all fields of medicine. Single incision laparoscopic surgery, often abbreviated as SILS also goes by several other names. Some of those names include Single-port laparoscopy (SPL), single-port incisionlless conventional equipment-using surgery, single-port access surgery (SPA), and Single-access endoscopic surgery. Additional names are natural-orifice trannsumbilical surgery (NOTUS), laparo-endoscopic singular-site surgery (LESS), and one-port umbilical surgery (OPUS).

SILS as a technique in laparoscopic surgery is still relatively new because it was only developed recently. Because this method utilizes a single entry point into the body, it is referred to as minimally invasive. The navel is the major entry point used on most patients. Only a small scar remains after the process has been done, which is one of the reasons why this process is preferred by many people.

Entry points are either 11mm or 22 mm incisions. One incision is utilized to minimize scarring and pain felt during and after the process. The use of one incision is opposed to the traditional laparoscopic procedure that uses multiple entry points. There are some of the most highly qualified specialists in SILS in New York. Therefore, it is quite advisable to consider visiting the city when in search of specialists in this process.

The process makes use of specialized surgical equipment that can be classified into two major classes, that is hand and access ports instruments. There is a wide variety of access ports instruments including the GelPOINT system, SILS device, TriPort+, QuadPort+, TriPort15, and Uni-X. All these instruments are manufactured by different manufacturers.

On the contrary, hand instruments are made in three main configurations, that is, articulating, standard, and pre-bent rigid. Standard hand tools have been developed over a period of the last thirty years. Their design is rigid. Articulation hand instruments were made to solve problems in SPL reduced triangulation instrument.

Surgeons usually have to choose whether to utilize articulating or standard instruments and that decision is often influenced by a few factors. Some of the factors include, access port used, surgical skills of the surgeon, and cost. In terms of cost, articulating instruments are considerably more expensive than standard instruments. The use of specialized devices makes this surgical procedure more effective and safer.

There is a high level of awareness of SILS among surgical doctors currently. However, it cannot be performed by any surgeon. The process is very complicated since it involves using specialized instruments through limited access space. Thus, surgical doctors who perform this process are often highly skilled and trained in surgical operation. That has made the use of this process limited and negative perceptions have followed from the public too.

SILS has been used on a wide variety of surgical procedures. Some major examples include colectomy, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding, sacrocolpopexy, hysterectomy, appendectomy, and nephrectomy among several others. Among European countries and the United States, standard instruments are being used more commonly compared to specialized instruments.




About the Author: