Single Incision Multi-Port LaparoEndoscopic (SIMPLE) surgery may help speed recovery and reduce scarring among many surgical patients, according to Bruce Molinelli, MD, director of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwhich, Conn.

Molinelli helped develop and advance the single-incision technique with his colleague Athanassios Petrotos, MD. SIMPLE surgery may be used for gallbladder, colon, appendix, small intestine, adrenal/endocrine, stomach, bariatric, gynecologic, urologic and essentially all major abdominal procedures.

 “Now, we can do many laparoscopic surgeries by inserting all instruments through just one incision, usually through the belly button,” says Molinelli in a press release. “This is cosmetically superior for people who do not want visible scars on their abdomen,” he adds. This “almost scarless surgery” may lead to faster healing and recovery time, and minimal trauma to the body.

[Source: Greenwich Hospital]