Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery

Single-port / Single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is surgery that is performed through a single port – or incision. SIL surgery is a form of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.

Dr Mohan Samarasinghe is one of the handful of surgeons across the country now performing these procedures.

Advantages and Disadvantages of SILS

Due to utilisation of a small and minimal - mostly single incision, patients can benefit from lesser port related complications and superior cosmesis. Single-port surgery leaves little to no scarring and may reduce complications that commonly occur after traditional open and even traditional laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Patients are reporting less discomfort and faster recovery compared with those undergoing traditional laparoscopy/open surgery. Therefore patients often can return home earlier than open surgery.

For the surgeon, the single-port approach is more challenging than traditional laparoscopy because the surgeon has less freedom of movement with all instruments using the same entry point. Therefore the surgeon must be specially trained and highly skilled to perform SILS successfully.

Furthermore, in cancer surgery, it would benefit the patient by not having to have a specimen extraction incision and not having the risk of seeding the extraction port because in SILS, we employ a wound protector barrier. Studies have shown that this wound protector plays a role in reducing surgical site infections too.

Who is a Candidate for SILS?

For certain procedures, patients considered for laparoscopic surgery also may be candidates for a single-port procedure. Patients may not be eligible if they have had multiple major abdominal surgeries or are morbidly obese, as both conditions limit visibility and movement inside the abdomen.