Single-port laparoscopic surgery in gynecology - Current status

Abstract

The objective of this study is to report the current status on single-port laparoscopic surgery in gynecology. A systematic MEDLINE review of the English language literature from 2007 to 2011 was performed using the search term "single-port surgery," which contained information on single-port laparoscopic surgery in gynecology. Overall, 1,152 patients (26 studies) were included in the analysis. The operative time varied according to the type of procedure. The conversion rate to conventional laparoscopy was 1.99 %, and the conversion rate to laparotomy was 0.35 %. Postoperative complications were encountered in 1.48 % of cases. Different gynecologic procedures have been effectively performed by means of single-port laparoscopic surgery. The procedure seems to be feasible, reproducible, and safe. Reduced pain and improved cosmesis are supposed to be the potential advantages of these procedures, but it was not completely confirmed yet! Further studies are still necessary to establish the real benefits of this new surgical approach over the traditional multi-port laparoscopy. © Springer-Verlag 2012.