Stellar Closure: a medical device for fast and effective primary closure of laparoscopic access sites

Laparoscopic procedures start with the insertion of surgical ports into the abdomen used for camera and instrument entry. When ports are withdrawn at the end of the procedure, the incised deeper layers of the tissue are often not closed, leaving an opening through which bowels can herniate. This causes symptoms in 25% of cases, including pain or more dangerous complications like bowel entrapment, eventually requiring another surgery. These complications can be reduced when the deeper layers are closed at the end of the procedure. However, difficult access makes suturing impossible. We patented (KU Leuven Intellectual Property) and tested in vitro and in vivo prototypes of an easy-to-use closure device for fast and effective watertight closure of all port sites. It is deployed at the beginning while inserting any conventional port, its stellar arms grasping the deeper layers. At port removal, the resorbable stellar arms retract while closing the deeper layers, without additional incision or need for visual control. This project aims to achieve the required preclinical steps by demonstrating the feasibility, safety and efficacy of the device. In parallel it aims to complete the regulatory pathway necessary to launch a first-in-man clinical study after completion of this project. The targeted market totals 15 million laparoscopies per year.

Keywords:Minimally invasive surgery, Laparoscopy, Port-site herniation, Implant, Medical device

Disciplines:Biochemical engineering, Tissue engineering