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Introduction Recent advances in minimally invasive surgery aiming at diminishing incision have led to the development of single port surgery (SPS). SPS has an increased level of complexity and require a higher level of surgical skills as compared to traditional laparoscopy. We have explored microlaparoscopy as a simpler alternative for routine laparoscopic cholecystectomy.MethodsRetrospective review of consecutive elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed by a single surgeon at a teaching university hospital over a 24 months period. All surgeries were performed using a 5mm trocar for the umbilical port and 3mm trocars for the other ports in standard configuration. Intraoperative cholangiography was performed routinely if technically feasible.Results79 elective cholecystectomies were performed by microlaparoscopy during the 24 months period. Indications for surgery are listed in table 1. 3 cases required an upgrade in trocars size for technical reasons resulting in a microlaparoscopic completion rate of 96%. Intraoperative cholangiography was completed in 70 cases (89%). There were no conversions to open surgery. There were no intra- or postoperative complication and all patients were discharged on the day of surgery.ConclusionMicrolaparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and feasible. It represents a simple alternative to other techniques that aim at minimizing incisions. Future development in visualization and instrumentation will allow using even smaller instruments and diminishing the surgical “footprint” even further.



Indication for cholecystectomy

biliary colic	n=70	88%
gallstone pancreatitis	n=2	3%
biliary dyskinesia	n=7	9%