title: Comparative assessment of laparoscopic single-site surgery instruments to conventional laparoscopic in laboratory setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) represents the latest innovation in laparoscopic surgery. We compare in dry and animal laboratory the efficacy of recently introduced pre-bent instruments with conventional laparoscopic and flexible instruments in terms of time requirement, maneuverability, and ease of handling.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants of varying laparoscopic experience were included in the study and divided in groups according to their experience. The participants performed predetermined tasks in dry laboratory using all sets of instruments. An experienced laparoscopic surgeon performed 24 nephrectomies in 12 pigs using all sets of instruments. Single port was used for all instrument sets except for the conventional instruments, which were inserted through three ports. The time required for the performance of dry laboratory tasks and the porcine nephrectomies was recorded. Errors in the performance of dry laboratory tasks of each instrument type were also recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre-bent instruments had a significant advantage over flexible instruments in terms of time requirement to accomplish tasks and procedures as well as maneuverability. Flexible instruments were more time consuming in comparison to the conventional laparoscopic instruments during the performance of the tasks. There were no significant differences in the time required for the accomplishment of dry laboratory tasks or steps of nephrectomy using conventional instruments through appropriate number of ports in comparison to pre-bent instruments through single port.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pre-bent instruments were less time consuming and with better maneuverability in comparison to flexible instruments in experimental single-port access surgery. Further clinical investigations would elucidate the efficacy of pre-bent instruments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens-Uwe
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Stolzenburg
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kallidonis
authors.forename: Min-A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Nabi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghulam
authors.forename: Minh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haefner
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dietel
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Till
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sakellaropoulos
authors.forename: Evangelos N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Liatsikos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004210:Dissection; D020706:Laparoscopes; D010535:Laparoscopy; D023421:Models, Animal; D009392:Nephrectomy; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors