For over a year now we have been doing the majority of our gastric bands via a single incision through the belly button (umbilicus). We were the first group to do this in February 2009, although others had implanted gastric bands through a single incision albeit it higher up the abdominal wall with a more visible scar. Implanting a gastric band through the belly button has led to virtually scar less surgery. The cosmetic benefits of this are very much appreciated by our gastric band patients.
We recently had an enquiry which suggested that some individuals are claiming that the SILS approach is only experimental and likely to be associated with a higher slippage rate. This is emphatically not our experience (and it’s no surprise that these individuals come from companies who are not offering SILS themselves). We have had no slippages, no significant wound infections and excellent cosmetic results. In fact, the scientific literature shows an average slippage rate of around 4 per cent whereas ours is 1 per cent. Most centres of excellence in the world are now using SILS to implant gastric bands as this clearly represents the modern gold-standard in laparoscopic surgery.
Dr David Ashton
27th May 2010
