title: Single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy: technique, safety, and feasibility in a clinical case series.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The recent use of single-port-access surgery in cholecystectomy and other abdominal surgeries has confirmed its safety and validity as a treatment option. However, few reports have described the use of complete single-port access surgeries in hepatectomy for neoplasms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors performed single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy (SLH) for eight patients (5 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 patient with metastatic liver tumor, 1 patient with endocrine liver tumor, and 1 patient with hemangioma). Furthermore, in terms of Child-Pugh classification, five patients were in category A, two in category B, and one in category C. The patients were eligible for SLH if they had solitary tumors measuring 3 cm or smaller on the caudal surface of the liver. The lesion was approached through a 20-mm supraumbilical incision using a single-port access device.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No patient experienced intraoperative complications that required additional port access and conversion to laparotomy. The operative time was 148 min (range, 141-235 min). The postoperative course of the patients was uneventful, and they were discharged an average of 6.2 days (range, 3-11 days) after the operation. Approximately 2 weeks after discharge, the patients experienced no wound pain or liver dysfunction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SLH technique is a safe and feasible procedure for a specific group of candidates, including patients with high-grade liver dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Gastrointestinal Center, Saitama Medical University, International Medical Center, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama 350-1298, Japan. aikawama@ybb.ne.jp
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aikawa
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.forename: Kojun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toshimitsu
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013525:Surgical Instruments; D016896:Treatment Outcome