title: Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery appendectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic appendectomy via the three-trocar technique is widely used for appendectomy. This report describes the initial experience with laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) appendectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between December 2008 and March 2009, patients with acute appendicitis admitted to the General Surgery and Emergency Unit of the authors' institution who agreed to undergo LESS appendectomy were included in a prospective study. All operations were performed by the same surgical team specially trained in this type of emergency surgery. The umbilicus was the sole point of entry for all patients, and the same operative technique was used in all cases. The data for patients undergoing LESS appendectomy were compared with the data from an uncontrolled group of patients undergoing standard laparoscopic appendectomy during the same study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The LESS and standard appendectomy groups included 15 patients each. The LESS procedure was performed successfully for all the patients, and none required conversion to an open procedure or a conventional laparoscopic appendectomy by the addition of more entry ports. The mean operating time of 51 min in the LESS group was not significantly different from the 46 min in the standard laparoscopic appendectomy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, LESS appendectomy was technically feasible and safe, representing a reproducible alternative to standard laparoscopic appendectomy.
authors.affiliation: General Surgery and Emergency Unit, Department of Digestive Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Metabolism Institute, Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Universitat de Barcelona, Villarroel 170, 9th Stair, 4th Floor, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. ovidal@clinic.ub.es
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ginestà
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martí
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Espert
authors.forename: Guerson
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benarroch
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: García-Valdecasas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001062:Appendectomy / Q000379:methods*; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000601:surgery*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2006 Mar;20(3):495-9
references.pmid: 16437274
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 1998 Feb;12(2):177-8
references.pmid: 9479738
references.citation: Int Braz J Urol. 2008 Jul-Aug;34(4):413-21; discussion 421
references.pmid: 18778492
references.citation: Obes Surg. 2008 Oct;18(10):1338-42
references.pmid: 18688685
references.citation: Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2007 Oct;17(5):375-9
references.pmid: 18049395
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004 Oct 18;(4):CD001546
references.pmid: 15495014
references.citation: J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2009 Feb;19(1):75-8
references.pmid: 19196084
references.citation: Endoscopy. 1983 Mar;15(2):59-64
references.pmid: 6221925
references.citation: Ann Surg. 2004 Feb;239(2):182-5
references.pmid: 14745325
references.citation: Ann Surg. 2008 Oct;248(4):687-9
references.pmid: 18936583
references.citation: Lancet. 1993 Sep 11;342(8872):633-7
references.pmid: 8103144
references.citation: Dig Surg. 2008;25(5):394-9
references.pmid: 19065056
references.citation: Rozhl Chir. 1996 Jan;75(1):15-8
references.pmid: 8768951
references.citation: Endoscopy. 2008 May;40(5):428-31
references.pmid: 18459078
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2002 May;16(5):833-5
references.pmid: 11997832
references.citation: Urology. 2008 Jan;71(1):3-6
references.pmid: 18242353
references.citation: Radiology. 2004 Feb;230(2):472-8
references.pmid: 14688403
references.citation: J Gastrointest Surg. 2009 Jan;13(1):159-62
references.pmid: 18972166
references.citation: Lancet Oncol. 2005 Jul;6(7):477-84
references.pmid: 15992696
references.citation: J Endourol. 2008 Aug;22(8):1573-6
references.pmid: 18681804
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2009 Jun;23(6):1393-7
references.pmid: 19118436
references.citation: J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 1999 Aug;9(4):361-4
references.pmid: 10488834