Comparison of the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic single‐incision triangulated umbilical surgery pyeloplasty with traditional three‐hole surgery in a pediatric tertiary center

Objective To report the application of laparoscopic single‐incision triangulated umbilical surgery (SITUS) pyeloplasty in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) and compare its feasibility and efficacy with traditional three‐hole laparoscopic pyeloplasty. Methods Data from children with UPJO who underwent SITUS between July 2018 and August 2021 were included in this retrospective study and patients who were treated with traditional laparoscopic pyeloplasty were chosen for comparison. Thirty‐two patients from SITUS group and 72 patients from traditional group were reviewed. The clinical characteristics, complications, and follow‐up results were collected and compared. Results The preoperative demographic data and imaging parameters, including sex, surgical side, age, BMI, and preoperative anterior–posterior pelvic diameter (APD), showed no significant differences between the two groups. The median surgical time was 135 min (IQR: 119.75–160.5) in SITUS group, while 163.5 min (IQR: 141.25–187.5) in the traditional group ( p = 0.0008). Two Clavien‐Dindo III complications (6.25%) in SITUS group and 11 (15.3%) in the traditional group were recorded ( p = 0.335). The success rate was 100% (32/32) in SITUS group and 94% (68/72) in the traditional group ( p = 0.309). Conclusion SITUS pyeloplasty is a feasible and effective laparo‐endoscopic single‐site (LESS) technique for pediatric patients with excellent cosmetic results comparable to the conventional laparoscopic pyeloplasty. More cases and longer follow‐up periods are needed to determine the exact outcomes of the modified LESS technique.