Single-incision laparoscopic surgery--hype or reality: a historical control study.

Introduction: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is a "new" method to perform "old" operations. Though SILS has been referred to by many names, for the sake of this paper, any procedure done laparoscopically through one incision (regardless of the number of ports or working channels) will be considered a SILS procedure. This brief review will discuss the history of SILS, current applications, and potential pitfalls.