Single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy: prospective case series at a single centre in Singapore.

Goel, Rajat; Buhari, Shaik Ahmad; Foo, Jonathan; Chung, Lee Kuok; Wen, Victor Lee Tswen; Agarwal, Amit; Lomanto, Davide

PURPOSE Laparoscopic appendectomy is widely accepted as a standard of care for acute appendicitis. Aim of our study is to assess the safety and feasibility of single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA) in our hospital setting. METHODS From March to August 2010, 30 patients (21 male, 9 female) with mean age 30.4 years (range, 17 to 64 y) with clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis underwent SILA. RESULTS The procedure was successful in 28 of 30 patients. Mean operative time was 80.4 minutes (range, 31 to 136 min). There was no mortality or major postoperative complication. The median hospital stay was 1.9 days (range, 1 to 5 d). The mean visual analogue scale score at the time of discharge was 2.2 (range, 1 to 4). CONCLUSIONS In our early experience, SILA is safe and feasible, with acceptable operative time, short learning curve, and good cosmetic result.