UNDERGOING operations in the past used to leave patients with zipper-like scars.
Then minimally invasive surgery came along, during which surgeons made a few small incisions, through which various surgical instruments - including a tiny camera - were inserted.
Now, doctors at National University Hospital (NUH) are offering a new surgical technique - one that leaves no scars at all and reduces pain.
Only one cut up to 2cm long is made on the patient's navel. A port, through which a camera and other surgical tools are inserted, goes through that one opening.
The upside: Just one incision to heal from and less pain.
The downside: Its relatively higher cost.
NUH doctors have done about 20 operations using this technique since the end of April, on patients with gall stones, stomach tumours, inflamed appendices and hernias.
This surgery especially appeals to younger patients who are more self-conscious about post-operative scars, said Dr Stephen Chang, a consultant at NUH's University Surgical Cluster.
'This could possibly become the next keyhole surgery,' he said, noting that the technique is already being used for a wide range of operations in countries like United States, including the removal of a part of the colon.
Administrative executive Maggie Yeo had a severe backache for several months before an X-ray showed that she had 10 stones in her gall bladder.
She did her research on the Internet and grilled her doctor about her treatment options, and then opted for single-incision surgery for its scarless appeal.
In her case, a needle suture was inserted through her abdominal wall to lift her gall bladder.
Her doctor made a cut on her navel and through that, inserted a camera and two instruments - one to dissect the gall bladder, and the other, to assist.
The surgery was done in the morning and she was up and about a few hours after that; the pain was gone in a week.
'I was knocked out by the anaesthesia during the operation and hardly felt any pain after that... I was even talking to my friends immediately after,' said the 28-year-old executive.
So how much more does this kind of one-incision surgery cost?
A non-subsidised patient going for traditional keyhole surgery to fix the kind of problem Ms Yeo had will pay $4,000; the same operation done the new way will cost $6,000.
The extra is for the equipment needed for the new procedure, said Dr Chang.
Recovery time and length of the surgery - about one hour - are the same.
He added that the method is more difficult to perform than keyhole surgery, because the single incision restricts the movement of the surgeon's hands.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
