St. Joseph’s offers new surgery

PARKERSBURG - Twenty years ago a patient having gallbladder surgery would have a 6-inch incision, spend several days recovering in the hospital and be limited in their physical activity for about two months, according to St. Joseph's Hospital officials.

In the 1990s surgical techniques were revolutionalized when surgeons started performing these same procedures laparoscopically through three small incisions one for the camera, one for the surgical instruments and one for suction. Typical laparoscopic surgery involves three small incisions, normally as an outpatient procedure with the patient going home the same or next day and about 10 days of limited activity, hospital officials said.

On Nov. 12 the first single-port, single-incision laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries were performed at St. Joseph's Hospital with one small incision, on a same-day outpatient basis with mere days before resuming normal activity. The two gallbladder surgeries were performed by general surgeon, Isidro Amigo, D.O.

"This is a great advancement for the Mid-Ohio Valley," said Jack Julius, CEO of St. Joseph's Hospital. "Single-port, single-incision laparoscopic surgeries have grown in popularity over the past 12 months, mostly at major academic institutions."

"The single-port, single-incision laparoscopic technique is a great option for gallbladder removal," explained Amigo. "To minimize the amount of scarring, the GelPoint single-port device is typically inserted into an opening near the belly button. The port itself has three separate slots to navigate the flexible instruments and camera through. The slots are centrally located to allow the surgeon to efficiently move and maneuver during the procedure."

Amigo reported both patients did very well during their procedures, with virtually no scars and minimal recovery time.

The single-port, single-incision technique is also expanding as an option for urologists performing kidney and prostate surgeries and OB/GYNs performing gynecologic surgeries. Amigo also plans to explore the use of the incision techniques for the Lapband bariatric procedures he performs at St. Joseph's Hospital.