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Ali Tavakkoli-zadeh, left, and teams have performed more than 20 single-incision surgeries at BWH and Faulkner.
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Advances in technology are bringing BWH surgeons closer to what they consider the “holy grail” of the field – scar-less surgery.
In January, surgeon Ali Tavakkoli-zadeh, MD, led a team in performing the first single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy at BWH and the first single-incision cholecystectomy at Faulkner Hospital. The single incision for these surgeries is made at the belly button, leaving the patient with one practically invisible scar.
“Fewer cuts mean less risk of wound-related events such as infection, and fewer scars, which is appealing to many patients,” Tavakkoli-zadeh said. “We also expect to show that the recovery is easier and faster for the patient.”
Since January, BW/F surgery teams with anesthesiologists, nurses and technologists have performed more than 20 single-incision surgeries at both BWH and Faulkner.
For the past 15 years, a routine laparoscopic procedure—an alternative to an open surgery—to remove the appendix or gallbladder would require three or four incisions in the abdomen. Surgeons insert a tiny camera through one incision and triangulating devices and articulating instruments through the other incisions to complete the procedure.
With single incision laparoscopic surgery, the instruments for tissue dissection and retraction are inserted through one incision. The procedure itself is a little more challenging for the surgeon, but ultimately it could provide a safe alternative and streamlined recovery for hundreds of BW/F patients a year, said Tavakkoli-zadeh.
“We strive to develop the most effective, least invasive and safest surgical techniques for our patients,” said Tavakkoli-zadeh, adding that BWH surgeons are studying and analyzing the outcomes of these procedures.