Experience of single-incision laparoscopy in children.
BACKGROUND
Laparoscopic surgery is commonly used for the treatment of many pediatric surgical diseases at our department. Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is well-known for its cosmetic benefit. We, hereby, present our experience of SILS and evaluate its efficacy.


METHODS
From July 2012 to June 2014, 78 patients aged less than 18 years who underwent SILS were retrospectively evaluated. There were 44 males and 34 females, with a mean age of 10.3 years. The procedures included appendectomy (n = 64), reduction of intussusception (n = 8), removal of an intestinal foreign body (n = 3), and Meckel's diverticulectomy (n = 3). We compared the patients who underwent SILS with those who underwent conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS), regarding these procedures. The parameters for analysis included the patient's demographic data, surgical indication, complications, operative time, and length of hospital stay.


CONCLUSIONS
SILS is comparable to CLS regarding two major procedures, namely, appendectomy and reduction of intussusception. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the patients' demographic data, complications, and length of hospital stay. According to our experience of SILS, it could be a feasible and safe procedure for the treatment of various pediatric surgical diseases. However, large prospective randomized studies are needed to identify the differences between SIL and CLS.
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Yung Ching
YC
Ming
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Wendy
W
Yang
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Jeng Chang
JC
Chen
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Pei Yeh
PY
Chang
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
Jin Yao
JY
Lai