Single-incision laparoscopic surgery

The University of Toledo Medical Center is embarking on a new era in minimally invasive surgery.

UT Medical Center is the only hospital in the region with university-quality care and the first to deliver single-incision laparoscopic surgery.  This revolutionary procedure allows our surgical specialists to go through the navel to operate, which means less pain and less trauma for patients needing gynecological and gastrointestinal surgeries.

In fact, with no visible scarring and faster recovery time, you may feel like you never had surgery at all.

UT Medical Center was the first facility in northwest Ohio with specialists trained to perform single-incision surgery. Dr. Jianlin Tang, assistant professor of general surgery, already has performed more than 100 cases.

Common applications for this single-incision surgery include gall bladder, appendix, colon, acid reflux, ovary/fallopian tube and hysterectomy surgeries. In most laparascopic surgeries for these conditions, a surgeon uses three to four ports of entry for a camera and laparoscopic instruments, leaving small scars – a significant advancement from the tradition “open” forms of surgery.

But these leading-edge single-incision procedures reduce the number of incisions to just one, through the belly button, leaving no visible scars. The camera and instruments enter the abdominal cavity through the navel. Once the removal or repair has been conducted, a tiny bandage or stitching closes the area affected, and the organ or damaged tissue is removed. Finally, the incision in the navel is internally stitched. Other advantages include less bleeding and fewer complications.

Committed to the ultimate safety of each patient, at UT Medical Center, each patient is carefully evaluated to determine which surgical procedure will be the safest and result in the best outcome for each patient.

This new breakthrough in surgical technique is an excellent example of what academic medical centers do for medicine – we look for new and innovative ways to improve patient safety, comfort and care.

Surgeons at The University of Toledo Medical Center have a history of leadership in minimally invasive surgery in the region, including laparoscopic procedures for kidney removal for transplantation and use of the daVinci surgical system.

Surgical consultations at UT Medical Center can generally be scheduled within 24 hours. If you would like a consultation for a single-incision procedure or any other surgical procedure, call 419.383.3759 or ask your physician to refer you to UT Medical Center.