Removing gall bladders through belly button prevents scarring

Washington, Sep 15 (ANI): Using a pioneering technology, surgeons at The Methodist Hospital in Houston are removing gall bladders through a single incision in the belly button to prevent scarring for patients with gall stones.

In fact, the breakthrough technique called single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) also ensures that patients undergo less pain during recovery.

Traditional laparoscopic cholecystectomies, or gall bladder removals, involve four half-inch or smaller incisions that may leave scars.

"Our patients like this single-incision surgery because they're left with essentially no visible scars. Also, they can go home just hours after the procedure is completed," said Dr. Brian Dunkin, head of endoscopic surgery at The Methodist Hospital.

But SILS is at the forefront of the push towards minimally invasive surgeries, which hold the promise of less scarring and potentially less pain in recovery.

The biggest advantage of SILS is that it uses only one access point, through the patient's belly button, ultimately resulting in the potential for no visible scar.t uses new technology, which is designed to allow better access from a single entryway.

A small device is placed in the tiny belly button incision, providing a portal for the surgeon's laparoscopic tools that are used to access and safely remove the gall bladder through the belly button.

The surgeons use the SILS procedure to make a single 20 mm incision through the belly button, camouflaging the entire scar. (ANI)