Loma Linda University Medical Center Touts 'Scar-Free' Abdominal Surgery

A surgeon at Loma Linda University Medical Center used a Single Port Instrument Delivery Extended Reach device during abdominal surgery on Sept. 28, a procedure that leaves "virtually no scars on a patient," a hospital spokesman said Tuesday.

Dr. Marcos Michelotti performed gallbladder surgery using the SPIDER device on a patient who had been suffering from gallstones, Herbert Atienza of LLUMC said.

The device inserts surgical instruments through a dime-size diameter probe, according to TransEnterix, makers of the SPIDER Surgery System.

Atienza said the procedure at Loma Linda University Medical Center was the first of its kind in the Inland Empire.

"The patient did not want to have scars on the abdomen that would have resulted from a traditional surgery," Atienza said.

The SPIDER system allowed Michelotti to perform the surgery with a single incision, mainly within the patient's belly button, Atienza said. Without the SPIDER system, up to four incisions would have been required.

Use of the SPIDER device "will make scarless surgery available to more patients with multiple surgical needs with the added benefits of less pain and better cosmetic results," Michelotti said.

For more information about SPIDER and to view more videos, visit www.transenterix.com/spider-surgical-system.

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