title: A modified umbilical incision for specimen extraction after laparoscopic abdominal surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One advantage of laparoscopic surgery over open surgery is the absence of laparotomic incisions. This advantage is reduced when an auxiliary incision is performed to remove surgical specimens larger than the trocar.
  
  
  METHODS
  A special incision was performed at umbilical trocar level that enabled removal of a large surgical specimen as in right hemicolectomy (colic), gastric resection, and splenic surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The authors have used this method routinely for 10 years for all cases requiring removal of a surgical specimen too large for the normal incision of a 10-mm trocar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors maintain that this method avoids the use of auxiliary incisions, which undo the many benefits of laparoscopic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Vascular and Mininvasive Surgery, Spoleto Hospital, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casciola
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Codacci-Pisanelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartoli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Zitti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patriti
mesh_terms: D034841:Abdominal Cavity / Q000601:surgery; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden; D014472:Umbilicus / Q000601:surgery*