» Surgeons Perform Single-Site Incision Surgery on Pediatric Patients

Surgeons Perform Single-Site Incision Surgery on Pediatric Patients

Surgeons at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta recently implemented the next step in minimally invasive surgery—single-site incision surgery. This technique is being used during routine surgeries at Children’s.

Traditional laparoscopic surgical incisions are made in different locations on the abdominal wall, resulting in several small scars. The single-site method, however, is considered scarless because only one incision is made in the belly button and is typically difficult to see. Patients who undergo single-site procedures enjoy all the benefits of laparoscopic surgery, such as rapid recovery and less pain than that associated with traditional open surgery.

Surgeons at Children’s are using this method for multiple procedures, including appendectomy, removal of the spleen, and stomach surgery. “Single site surgery takes minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic surgery) to the next level,” said Mark Wulkan, M.D., who performs surgery at Children’s and is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. “Children leave the operating room with virtually no scars.”