Magnetically anchored camera and percutaneous instruments maintain triangulation and improve cosmesis compared with single-site and conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background This study evaluated operative outcomes and ergonomics for a magnetic camera (MAGS) used in conjunction with percutaneous instruments [percutaneous surgical set (PSS)] compared with single-site laparoscopic (SSL) and conventional laparoscopic (LAP) cholecystectomy techniques. Methods Four surgical trainees each performed three porcine cholecystectomies using three randomized techniques including MAGS/PSS, SSL, and LAP. The operative outcomes, procedure-specific ratings (1–5 scale; 1 = superior), workload (1–10 scale; 1 = superior), and global impressions (1–10 scale; 10 = superior) were recorded. Comparisons used analysis of variance (ANOVA) on ranks (Kruskal-Wallis), and p values lower than 0.05 were considered significant. Results The operative outcomes were similar except for significantly higher blood loss with SSL (16.3 ± 10.3) versus LAP (2.8 ± 1.5; p