Reduced port surgery. Developing a safe pathway to single port access surgery

"Scarfree" surgery is a desired goal in the world of laparoscopy and interventional endoscopy. One possibility to achieve this goal is abdominal access via a natural orifice (natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, NOTES); however, this procedure and its applications lack an appropriate platform. Further possibilities are reduced port techniques or single port access surgery, which result in minimal scarring. Development and continued growth in this area cover a broad spectrum. Although acceptance has been demonstrated, the technique must be adopted in a safe and effective manner and must be economically and ecologically safe. This article gives an overview of the development of the technique, the learning curve, and new applications for this new technique. An English full-text version of this article is available at SpringerLink as supplemental.