title: A single-port technique for laparoscopic extended stapled appendectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has become an exciting area of surgical development. Significant limitations to this surgical concept include lack of surgical expertise and appropriate flexible instrumentation. An alternative and competing technology to NOTES is single-incision laparoscopic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study describes a patient in whom a laparoscopic surgical technique for appendectomy used incisions that were all placed within the umbilicus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The operative time was 40 minutes. There were no intraoperative complications. The patient did well postoperatively and was discharged on postoperative day 1. There were no perioperative complications at 1-month follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Appendectomy performed through laparoscopic incisions placed within the umbilicus was technically feasible and safe. Development of advanced flexible instrumentation and visualization platform may facilitate this new operative approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, California 92868, USA. ninhn@uci.edu
authors.forename: Ninh T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Reavis
authors.forename: Marcelo W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Hinojosa
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stamos
mesh_terms: D018253:Adenoma, Villous / Q000601:surgery*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001062:Appendectomy / Q000379:methods*; D001063:Appendiceal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D017792:Surgical Stapling