Prospective Randomized Comparison of Cutting and Dilating Disposable Trocars for Access During Laparoscopic Renal Surgery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traditional trocar tip design for laparoscopic access incorporates cutting blades to penetrate the body wall. More recently, trocars applying tissue dilation have been used that create a smaller defect, seldom requiring fascial wound closure. Four 12-mm commercially available single-use trocar designs were evaluated for postoperative pain. METHODS: The 4-trocar types included 2 cutting (single or pyramidal bladed) and 2 dilating trocars (radially or axially dilating) type. Fifty-six patients undergoing transperitoneal laparoscopic renal surgery were randomized and blinded to one of the 4 trocar types. In each case, trocars were placed in a standard “diamond” configuration: three 12-mm study trocars and a lateral 5-mm trocar that served as a reference point for normalizing patients' pain scores. Postoperative pain based on a visual analog scale and complications were assessed. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference existed in pain scores between different trocar types or trocar sites at 3-hour, 24-hour, and 1-week postoperative assessment time points. Eight (4.8%) minor complications occurred: bleeding in 7 (4.2%) and 1 (0.6%) wound infection. The radially dilating trocar had more device malfunction (P<0.05) than did the others. CONCLUSION: All 4 disposable trocars, muscle cutting or dilating type, were safe and yielded similar postoperative pain scores with or without the fascial wound closure after renal laparoscopy.