Prospective or retrospective studies of single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with benign gallbladder lesions requiring removal were eligible for inclusion. Studies had to have a minimum of 10 patients in each group. The relevant primary outcomes were blood loss, operating time, conversion rate and complications. Various secondary outcomes were considered. Patients with malignant gallbladder lesions were excluded. Reviews and case studies were excluded.
The included studies considered patients with chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis or gallbladder polyps. Acute cholecystitis was included in more than half of the studies. A wide variation of single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy techniques was applied in the studies. The number of trocars ranged from one to three and types of trocar included both 5mm and 10mm. Where reported, the mean age of patients ranged from 37 to 51 years and the mean body mass index ranged from 23 to 31kg/m².
Two reviewers independently undertook study selection. Disagreements were resolved by discussion.