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Introduction: Surgery is moving towards less invasive and cosmetically superior approaches such as single incision laparoscopy (SIL). While trans-umbilical SIL is gaining popularity, incisions may lead to post-operative deformations of the umbilicus and the possibility of an increased rate of incisional hernias. Access within the pubic hairline allows preservation of the umbilicus and results in a scar which is concealed within the pubic hair.Methods: Supra-pubic single incision cholecystectomy was performed in a 30-year-old patient with symptomatic gallstones. A 2.5-cm transverse incision was placed within the pubic hairline and a subcutaneous tunnel was formed. Three 5-mm ports were introduced into the tunnel and perforated the anterior rectus sheath superior to the skin incision. The surgical procedure was then undertaken with conventional laparoscopic instrumentation. The adjacent 5-mm incisions were merged for gallbladder removal. The entry site was closed under direct vision.Results: The above procedure was technically feasible and without complication. Operative time was 45 min, and the patient was discharged 5 h post-operatively.Conclusions: Supra-pubic single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy may offer a more cosmetically appealing result than standard umbilical access. The operation can be performed by surgeons skilled in single incision techniques with good result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a multidisciplinary surgical technique. If conventional endoscopic instrumentation can be easily mastered, surgeons with laparoscopic experience could head NOTES interventions.Materials and Methods: Thirty individuals were tested for endoscopic dexterity. Group 1 included seven gastroenterologists, group 2 included 12 laparoscopically experienced surgeons lacking endoscopic experience, and group 3 included 11 interns who had no hands-on endoscopic or surgical experience. Each individual repeated an easy (T1), medium (T2), and difficult (T3) task ten times with endoscopic equipment on a NOTES skills-box.Results: Group 3 had significantly poorer performances for all three tasks compared to the other groups. No significant differences were seen between groups 1 and 2 for T1 and T2. The initial T3 performance of group 1 was better than that of group 2, but their performance after repetition was not statistically different. Groups 2 and 3 improved significantly with repetition, and group 2 eventually performed as well as group 1.Conclusions: The data indicate that laparoscopic surgeons quickly learned to handle the endoscopic equipment. This suggests that a lack of endoscopic experience does not handicap laparoscopic surgeons when performing endoscopic tasks. Based on their knowledge of anatomy and the complication management acquired during surgical education, surgeons are well equipped to take the lead in interdisciplinary NOTES collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]