Patients who delayed hospital visits out of fear of surgical scars now have a new option. A single small incision inside the navel can treat conditions ranging from gallbladder to uterine disease.
Incheon Sejong Hospital said Tuesday that it has surpassed 800 cumulative single-port robotic surgeries. The milestone was reached about 20 months after the hospital introduced the da Vinci SP robot in September 2023.
The procedure inserts all instruments through a 2-to-3-centimeter incision around the navel. Unlike laparoscopic surgery, which requires multiple holes in the abdomen, the technique leaves scars that are barely visible. Patients experience less pain and can return to daily life sooner.
The range of treatable conditions continues to expand. The technique is applied not only in surgical fields such as gallbladder, appendix and hernia operations, but also in gynecological conditions including uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts, as well as pneumothorax, a condition in which the lung tears. The hospital recently succeeded in a combined procedure that removed parts of the stomach and the gallbladder at once.
Incheon Sejong Hospital has accumulated a series of firsts in the field. Last year, it became the first in Asia to apply single-port robotic surgery to sleeve gastrectomy for obesity treatment. In April this year, it performed the world's first procedure combining the technique with intelligent suturing equipment.
"As the technology matures, the burden on patients' bodies is decreasing while surgical accuracy is improving," Hospital Director Oh Byung-hee said. "Multiple departments will work together to find the most suitable method for each patient."
