UT Southwestern surgeons complete North Texas' first single-incision gallbladder removal

Drs. Homero Rivas (right) and J. Esteban Varela successfully removed a gallbladder through a unique operation requiring only a single incision in the bellybutton rather than the traditional four incisions. Click here for more information.

DALLAS – Feb. 28, 2008 – UT Southwestern Medical Center surgeons have removed a gallbladder through a unique operation requiring only a single incision in the bellybutton rather than the traditional four incisions in the abdomen. It is the first such operation in North Texas.

“It went better than we expected,” said Dr. Homero Rivas, assistant professor of surgery, who completed the 80-minute procedure with Dr. J. Esteban Varela, assistant professor of surgery. “Through a single hole, we were able to introduce more than one instrument into the patient’s abdomen at once, and we were able to remove her gallbladder very safely, just like we do routinely through four incisions.”

Melanie Willhite, a 28-year-old professional golfer, said she had suffered for more than a decade with gallbladder attacks that caused recurring abdominal pain, sometimes so intense she could not stand.

“I wasn’t eating. I had lost about 12 pounds in the past two months. It came on when I was under stress, so I got attacks after almost every tournament round,” said Ms. Willhite, a Farmers Branch resident who has been on the professional circuit for five years.