Single-Incision Cholecystectomy

One cut hidden in the navel. The same operation inside.

In 48 randomized trials with 5,794 patients, single-incision and standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy had the same rates of bile duct injury, bile leak and wound infection.

Why the gallbladder comes out

Gallstones are common, and most never cause trouble. Women, people over forty and people with diabetes carry them more frequently, along with anyone who has lost a lot of weight quickly. Once they do, with attacks of pain after meals, inflammation of the gallbladder, a stone that slips into the bile duct and causes jaundice, or pancreatitis, the attacks return in many patients, and removing the gallbladder is the standard treatment. The body manages well without it, because bile still flows from the liver into the intestine, and normal eating returns within weeks, though a few notice looser stools after fatty meals for a while. Gallbladder polyps of a certain size and a porcelain gallbladder, where the wall has turned chalky, are other reasons to remove it, and in these cases the pathologist examines the gallbladder after surgery as a matter of routine. Pregnancy, rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery and some blood disorders make stones more likely, and the same operation applies.

Symptoms that point to the gallbladder include

• pain under the right ribs or in the upper middle abdomen after a fatty meal,
• pain that spreads to the right shoulder blade,
• nausea and vomiting during attacks,
• and, with a duct stone, yellow eyes, dark urine and pale stools.

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Stones that cause no symptoms

Silent stones found by chance on a scan are left alone in most cases, because the chance that they will ever cause an attack is low and an operation, however small, carries risks of its own that are not worth taking for a stone that may never move.

What single-incision surgery changes

One scar instead of four.

The single port carries

• the camera,
• two working instruments,
• and the gas that lifts the abdominal wall.

The surgeon opens the abdomen through the navel, under general anesthesia, and places a single soft port with three or four channels, through which the camera and the instruments enter side by side. The steps inside are the same as in standard laparoscopic surgery, identifying the cystic duct and artery, clipping and dividing them, and lifting the gallbladder from the liver, but working with instruments close together is harder, so the operation takes longer and suits straightforward cases best. Because the instruments enter from almost the same point, they cross inside the abdomen or are curved, and surgeons who do this operation regularly train specifically for it. Training matters more than the equipment. The navel scar fades into its natural fold. When the operation needs it, the surgeon adds a small port without hesitation, and patients are told before surgery that this can happen.

What the trials show

Two large reviews

Two large reviews of randomized trials have compared single-incision with standard keyhole surgery.

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Safety was the same.

A better scar, a small extra hernia risk.

Robotic surgery

Robots have entered the picture too. Robotic cholecystectomy has also been compared with both, and a 2025 meta-analysis found it took longer and needed conversion to open surgery less often, with similar complications.

Who it suits

Getting ready

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Risks and how they are managed

A clear view of the ducts is the safeguard.

The recovery

Walking the same evening.

1. Day one, home.
2. First week, light activity and desk work.
3. Six weeks, lifting, sit-ups and the gym.

Most patients eat a light meal and walk the evening of surgery and go home the next day. Shoulder tip pain from the gas used during surgery fades within a day or two, light activity and desk work return within a week, and driving waits until you can brake hard without pain. Lifting more than five kilograms, sit-ups and heavy gym work wait six weeks to protect the navel closure, which is the one part of this operation that needs patience. A low-fat diet for the first weeks helps some people. Small bruising around the navel is common and fades in a week or two, the stitches under the skin dissolve on their own, and a waterproof dressing lets you shower from the next day. The navel looks swollen for a few weeks before the scar settles into its fold, so judge the cosmetic result at three months rather than at the first dressing change.

How long to stay in Istanbul

Plan for four to five days.

Published gallbladder removal packages in Istanbul list one day in hospital. They include the operation, transfers, a companion's accommodation and an interpreter, and leave out flights and hotel nights. A few days after discharge allow a wound check and confidence before the flight, and flying is fine once you are eating, walking and off strong painkillers.

What decides the cost

Single-incision or standard technique, any additional tests such as MRCP, endoscopy for a duct stone, nights in hospital and the hotel set most of the figure.

Your quote should name the technique, the tests and the stay, and that figure comes only from a general surgeon reading your ultrasound and blood results. The review costs nothing.

Arranging the trip

Your ultrasound report and liver tests, sent on WhatsApp, open the case, and from that first reply until the follow-up call after you are home, the same coordinator handles every detail of the trip and the stay. The team works in English, Arabic, French, Russian, Serbian, Romanian and Spanish, with interpreters for the rest. One person sleeps in your room on the companion bed through the admission. Hotel bookings for the nights around surgery, the medical visa invitation sent ten days ahead and the car from the airport are handled by the international office, meals come halal, vegetarian or diabetic from the hospital kitchen, there is a prayer room in the building, and a female physician is available on request.

Once you are back home

Pathology results arrive within a week. Watch the navel for a bulge in the months after surgery, especially when you cough or lift.

Fever, yellowing of the eyes or skin, increasing abdominal pain, vomiting, or a red, leaking wound. Each needs a doctor the same day.

Single-incision cholecystectomy FAQ