Early experience with laparoendoscopic single-site surgery in the pediatric urology patient population.
OBJECTIVE
To present our initial experience with single-incision laparoscopy in the pediatric urologic population.


METHODS
Four patients underwent eight single-incision laparoscopic procedures. One patient underwent bilateral nephrectomies, a hernia repair, and an orchiectomy. The remaining three patients underwent unilateral nephrectomies. All procedures were performed in children using the Covidien SILS port system via an umbilical incision.


RESULTS
Procedures in three of four patients, representing seven of eight cases, were successfully performed via a single incision. Operative times ranged from 114 minutes to 360 minutes. There were no conversions to traditional laparoscopy. One nephrectomy was converted to an open procedure secondary to bleeding. There were no complications postoperatively, and at follow-up, all wounds were well healed.


CONCLUSIONS
Single-incision laparoscopic urologic surgery is safe and feasible in the pediatric population. The umbilical (trans or peri) approach confers improved cosmesis over traditional laparoscopy, and the scar is essentially concealed.
Marietti
Sarah
S
Department of Urology, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, California, USA. smarietti@rchsd.org
DeCambre
Marvalyn
M
Fairbanks
Timothy
T
Kling
Karen
K
Chiang
George
G
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*