Objective: This study was designed to describe the surgical technique for single-incision laparoscopic right colectomy and present preliminary short-term results. Laparoscopic surgery has been fully validated as alternative, minimally invasive treatment for different benign and malignant conditions. In the attempt to reduce even more the surgical trauma, natural orifices transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES™) and single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) have been proposed. Although the lack of proper instrumentations makes NOTES™ not fully suitable for advanced procedures, SILS might play a significant role, although, to date, only limited series and few case reports of single-incision right colectomy are present in the literature.
Methods: After signed, informed consent was obtained, patients with malignant tumors or large polyps of the right colon underwent single-incision colonic resection through a 3-cm incision using two different single-port devices and articulated or coaxial curved instruments. Preliminary results were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: A total of 36 patients were selected for SILS procedure. There were no intraoperative complications or conversions to the standard laparoscopic procedure. One patient had a postoperative urinary tract infection and one prolonged ileum that did not required any surgical intervention. No complications were reported in all the remaining cases. The mean postoperative stay was 5 ± 1.2 days (range, 4-14), and mean lymph node retrieval and tumor-free margins was 24 ± 7 (range, 29-15) and 8 ± 3 (range, 6-12) cm, respectively.
Conclusions: Our preliminary results show that single-incision laparoscopic right colectomies are feasible and safe from the oncological point of view; nevertheless larger, randomized experiences are needed to demonstrate the benefits of SILS compared with standard laparoscopic resections.