Single-Incision Laparoscopy: Boon or Bust?

One of the most recent trends in laparoscopic surgery is to access the peritoneal cavity via the umbilicus using a single skin incision. Single-incision laparoscopy introduces additional constraints to the conventional laparoscopic environment and requires surgeons to use new flexible and articulating instruments and novel access platforms. Over the past two years, medical device companies have been racing to develop enabling technologies for single-incision laparoscopy, but the approach is controversial and its future appears uncertain as surgeons debate the cost/benefits of the single-incision laparoscopic approach.