The self-retracting glove—an aid to minilaparotomy

A simple technique is presented to help the surgeon gain additional exposure during open minicholecystectomy or any other open minimal abdominal procedure. The technique consists of a empty sterile glove inserted into the abdomen and filled with 500 mL saline. When filled with saline, the glove becomes soft and malleable—adjusting itself to fill the desired space. The resulting retraction is nontraumatic to the adjacent organs. The small laparotomy wound is spared the trauma from the deep retractors that would have been otherwise used to achieve exposure. The retracting glove is effective, easy to use, inexpensive, and safe.