Office Locations
The Colony Office
3716 Standridge Dr. Ste. 101
The Colony, TX 75056
Contact Numbers
Freephone: +1 866 993 3587
Telephone: 972 239 5722
Fax: 972 239 5799
Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS)
Recent advances in Laparoscopic technique now make it possible for Dr. Felts to complete your bariatric surgery using a single small incision instead of the 4-6 incisions usually required to complete gastric band procedures.
In some cases the incision can be placed within the belly button making it almost impossible to see once it has healed. If the belly button (umbilical) incision is not possible because of the patient's weight or other medical factors, the single incision is placed just below the bottom of the rib cage either at the center or toward the left side of the abdomen. The incision itself is between 3 and 5 cm and, while not completely invisible, offers a small, easily concealed scar once healed.
The single incision is used by Dr. Felts to introduce a special tube into the abdomen. All of the instruments and the tiny video camera used to guide the instruments are passed through the tube during surgery. Although performing surgery through a single incision is more technically challenging than using the multiple small incision of traditional laparoscopic surgery, Dr. Felts believes the benefits of the procedure makes the additional difficulty worthwhile.
Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery Benefits:
- Less risk of infection: With only one incision through the abdominal wall, infection risk is reduced.
- Faster recovery: Laparoscopic surgery in general has allowed many bariatric surgery patients to go home the same day as the procedure. Single incision surgery makes recovery even shorter.
- Better cosmetic results: An umbilical scar is virtually invisible and a single abdominal scar generally provides a more cosmetically pleasing result for patients.
- Less post procedure discomfort: Although there are no studies available that show less post operative discomfort, a single incision may offer less discomfort during healing than would be experienced with multiple incisions.
Single incision laparoscopic surgery is becoming the technique of choice for many abdominal surgeries including bariatric surgery. While the procedure is not appropriate for all patients; it is an option that Dr. Felts will discuss with you if it is suitable in your situation. Higher weight patients or those with previous abdominal surgeries may not be suitable candidates for a SILS procedures and traditional laparoscopic technique will be used.