Comparison of transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy versus single incision laparoscopic appendectomy in children: which is the better surgical option?

Intra-/Extracorporeal Single-Incision Versus Conventional Laparoscopic Appendectomy in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: There are two approaches to single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA): intracorporeal (Intra) and extracorporeal (Extra). However, the differences in the efficacy between these procedures remain unclear. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the safety and usefulness of these techniques with those of conventional laparoscopic appendectomy (CLA) in children. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, CENTRAL, and Scopus databases. Studies comparing outcomes of "Intra-SILA and CLA" or "Extra-SILA and CLA" in children aged <18 years were included. Operative time, hospitalization duration, wound infection, intra-abdominal infection, conversion to open, additional ports, and narcotic doses were evaluated. Results: Overall, 20 studies (six randomized controlled trials [RCTs], one prospective non-RCT, and 13 retrospective cohort studies) (Intra-SILA: 322, CLA: 791 cases; Extra-SILA: 1318, CLA: 1313 cases) were included. Compared with CLA, Extra-SILA was associated with a shorter operative time (mean difference, -9.79 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI], -18.34 to -1.24) and lower incidence of intra-abdominal infection (3.3% versus 4.6%, odds ratio [OR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.82) and a higher rate of additional port (13.6% versus 0%, OR, 43.93; 95% CI, 14.79 to 130.50). Meanwhile, the outcomes of Intra-SILA were comparable with those of CLA. However, the participants in the Intra-SILA group received significantly lower doses of narcotics than those in the CLA group. Conclusion: Although the evidence was insufficient, both Intra- and Extra-SILA were comparable to CLA with respect to safety. Extra-SILA seems to have an advantage of a shorter operative time, but additional ports may be required.

Hybrid Appendectomy in Pediatric Appendicitis: A Comparative Analysis of Single-Port and Multiport Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Background: Hybrid appendectomy (HA) has the technical advantages of the excellent visual field provided by laparoscopic surgery and is fast and easy similar to open surgery. We aimed to compare the safety and effectiveness of HA with single- and multiport laparoscopic appendectomy (SPLA and MPLA) in pediatric patients with acute appendicitis. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study compared the short-term operative outcomes between HA, SPLA, and MPLA groups. From January, 2010 to December, 2019, 239 patients aged <12 years who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for acute appendicitis were included. The primary outcome was the 30-day postoperative complication rate, stratified according to the modified Clavien-Dindo classification. Results: In 239 patients, HA was more frequently performed in patients with a low body mass index (17.42 versus 18.97 kg/m² in the SPLA group versus 18.44 kg/m² in the MPLA group, P = .029) and tended to be more frequently adopted in uncomplicated appendicitis. In uncomplicated appendicitis, the HA group had a significantly shorter operation time than the MPLA group (31.77 versus 40.09 min, P < .001), but had a comparable operation duration with the SPLA group. The rate of 30-day postoperative complications was not significantly different between the groups (HA 7.6% versus SPLA 7.8% versus MPLA 5.4%, P = .841). The postoperative time to resume water intake was significantly longer in the SPLA group than in the HA and MPLA groups (P = .008). Conclusions: HA showed a short operation time, fast functional recovery, and acceptable postoperative complication rate in patients with uncomplicated appendicitis and can be safely and effectively performed in these patients.

Needlescopic Appendectomy in Children and Adolescents Using 14-Gauge Needles: A New Era

Purpose: We are presenting a very minimally invasive technique for laparoscopic appendectomy (needlescopic appendectomy [NAP]) in children and adolescents using suture grasper device, epidural needle, and homemade isolated long diathermy probe without any conventional laparoscopic instruments. Patients and Methods: NAP was attempted in 48 patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis at Al-Azhar, Tanta University Hospitals and other allied hospitals during the period from May 2017 to November 2018. The study included patients with acute appendicitis and patients scheduled for interval appendectomy. Exclusion criteria were patients with concealed appendix, patients with appendicular abscess or appendicular mass, patients with acute appendicitis complicated with generalized peritonitis, and patients unfit for laparoscopy. The appendix was brought outside through the umbilical port and the operation was completed extracorporeally. In cases of appendicitis with tethered cecum, the whole procedure was completed intracorporeally. Results: Forty-eight patients with acute uncomplicated appendicitis were treated by NAP. They were 36 males and 12 females with a mean age of 9 ± 3.7 years (range = 4-15 years). Two cases with concealed appendix and one case with appendicular mass were diagnosed during initial laparoscopy and excluded from the study. Thirty-two cases (71.11%) were completed intracorporeally and 13 cases (28.89%) were completed by extracorporeal NAP. The mean operative time was 33.29 ± 3.95 minutes (range = 27-40 minutes) for intracorporeal NAP and 20.9 ± 7.01 minutes (range = 14-40 minutes) for extracorporeal NAP. Degrees of cosmetic satisfaction of the patients and parents were excellent in 93.33% (N = 42/45 patients), and very good in 6.67% (N = 3/45 patients) of patients. Conclusion: NAP using needles only is a new technique that is very minimally invasive, very cheap, safe, reproducible, and easy to be done with outstanding cosmetic results.

Update on transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted surgery in infants and neonates

BACKGROUND

Because of the restricted space of the peritoneal cavity and the easy mobility of abdominal and pelvic organs in infants and neonates, the boundary of minimally invasive surgery was extended to complete the operation outside the abdomen. The objective of this study was to report our experience with transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted surgery (TULS) in different abdominal pathologies in infants and neonates.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 59 patients who underwent TULS from 2014 to 2020. The study outcomes were the conversion to open approach, length of hospital stay and post-operative complications.

RESULTS

The most common indications were explorations for intra-abdominal testes (n = 15) and inguinal herniorrhaphy (n = 13). Patients who had surgery for pyloric stenosis were younger (1.03 ± 0.25 months). The average operative time was 45.9 ± 18.39 min. The longest operative time was reported with surgery for liver cysts (94.5 ± 10.6 min). Oral intake was started after 48-56 h in patients who had excision of duplication cysts. The average post-operative hospital stay was 2.6 ± 1.52 days. No major complications were reported. Wound infection occurred in one patient with a duplication cyst. Three patients were converted to open repair (5.1%) and no late complications were reported during the mean follow-up time of 11.2 ± 5.1 months.

CONCLUSIONS

The transumbilical approach is a safe alternative method to laparotomy in several abdominal pathologies in infants and neonates. It has a short operative time and hospital stay. The technique is associated with few complications and conversion rates.

Needlescopic Appendectomy in Children and Adolescents Using 14G Needles: A New Era

Purpose: We are presenting a new very minimally invasive technique for laparoscopic appendectomy (needlescopic appendectomy [NAP]) in children and adolescents using suture grasper device, epidural needle, and homemade isolated long diathermy probe without any conventional laparoscopic instruments. Patients and Methods: NAP was attempted in 48 patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis at Al-Azhar, Tanta University Hospitals and other allied hospitals during the period from May 2017 to November 2018. The study included patients with acute appendicitis and patients scheduled for interval appendectomy. Exclusion criteria were patients with concealed appendix, patients with appendicular abscess or appendicular mass, patients with acute appendicitis complicated with generalized peritonitis, and patients unfit for laparoscopy. The appendix was brought outside through the umbilical port and the operation was completed extracorporeally. In cases of appendicitis with tethered cecum, the whole procedure was completed intracorporeally. Results: Forty-eight patients with acute uncomplicated appendicitis were treated by NAP. They were 36 males and 12 females with a mean age 9 ± 3.7 years (range = 4-15 years). Two cases with concealed appendix and one case with appendicular mass were diagnosed during initial laparoscopy and excluded from the study. Thirty-two cases (71.11%) were completed intracorporeally and 13 cases (28.89%) were completed by extracorporeal NAP. Mean operative time was 33.29 ± 3.95 minutes (range = 27-40 minutes) for intracorporeal NAP and 20.9 ± 7.01 minutes (range = 14-40 minutes) for extracorporeal NAP. Degrees of cosmetic satisfaction of the patients and parents were excellent in 93.33% (N = 42/45 patients), and very good in 6.67% (N = 3/45 patients) of patients. Conclusion: NAP using needles only is a new technique that is very minimally invasive, very cheap, safe, reproducible, and easy to be done with outstanding cosmetic results.

Transumbilical Single-Incision Laparoscopic-Assisted Appendectomy (TULAA) Is Useful in Adults and Young Adolescents: Comparison with Multi-Port Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Background and objectives: Single-port laparoscopic appendectomy (SLA) in most previous studies has used intracorporeal excision of the appendix and needed a longer operative time than multi-port laparoscopic appendectomy (MLA), although SLA does have the potential benefit of an almost invisible scar within the umbilicus. Some studies have reported that extracorporeal transumbilical single-incision laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy (TULAA) in children took a considerably reduced operative time compared to MLA. We adopted TULAA in adults, adding routine dissection of the peritoneal attachment of the appendix. The aim was to compare the operative outcomes between TULAA and MLA. Materials and Methods: Between March 2013 and January 2016, 770 patients with acute uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis from 15 to 75 years of age were enrolled retrospectively. The operation was performed as early (EA) and interval appendectomy (IA). Results: Operative time was shorter in the TULAA group than in the MLA group, except for IA. No open conversion occurred in the TULAA group, except one case of ileocecal resection for IA. No intra-abdominal fluid collection was found in the TULAA group. Extended resection (especially partial cecectomy) was performed less frequently in the TULAA group than in the MLA group for IA. Mean postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the TULAA group for uncomplicated appendicitis. When the data of the EA group and the IA group were compared, operative time was significantly shorter in the IA group for both MLA and TULAA. The open conversion rate and the complication rate tended to be lower in the IA group. Confined to IA, the TULAA group tended to have shorter mean initial, postoperative, and total hospital stays. Conclusions: TULAA can be a useful surgical alternative to MLA in adults and young adolescents, because it lacks open conversion and provides both a shorter operative time and a shorter postoperative hospital stay. TULAA is feasible for IA in that it showed a lower rate of extended resection and complications.

Transumbilical extracorporeal laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy

AIM OF THE STUDY

The perfect balance between safety, cosmesis, and cost effectiveness in a world with ever growing healthcare costs has yet to be found for nonperforated appendicitis. The aim is to present our data regarding safety and cost effectiveness of the transumbilical extracorporeal laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy technique.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed for all laparoscopic appendectomies for acute appendicitis from October 2014 to October 2016. All cases of perforated appendicitis were excluded (visible hole/abscess/free pus). Included cases were divided into two groups by operative technique: transumbilical (TU) or laparoscopic 3-port (L3P). Operating room charges were billed in 30-min intervals, and hospital charges billed per night in-house. The technique was that the appendix is identified with the laparoscope, grabbed with a grasper that is inserted parallel to the laparoscope, and exteriorized through the umbilicus. The appendectomy is completed extracorporeally.

RESULTS

A total of 494 cases of nonperforated appendicitis were included in the study. One surgeon attempted all cases with the TU technique (n=161), and all other surgeons used the L3P technique (n=333), which required an endostapler and a vascular sealing device. The TU technique was successful in 99 of the attempted cases. The mean operative time of the TU cases and the L3P cases was 21 (8-43) and 37 (12-73) min, respectively (P<0.001). The mean hospital stay for the TU and the L3P cases was 1.6 (1-5) days (one-night admission) and 2.4 (1-14) days (two-night admission), respectively (P<0.001). There were no operative complications or readmissions in either group. The overall cost of the L3P cases was 30% higher than the cost of the TU cases.

CONCLUSION

The transumbilical extracorporeal laparoscopic-assisted technique was as safe as the laparoscopic 3-port technique. It offered all the advantages of a minimally invasive procedure, was associated with a significantly shorter hospital stay, and was remarkably more cost effective than the standard laparoscopic 3-port technique.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Extracorporeal and intracorporeal approaches of single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy in children: is one superior to another?

BACKGROUND

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery has been widely popularized for pediatric appendicitis. Various techniques have been proposed with two main approaches: extracorporeal and intracorporeal. The purpose of this study is to compare the result of different approaches in single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA) in children.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

With IRB approval, patients less than 18years of age who underwent SILA were enrolled from July 2012 to December 2015. The patients were divided into three groups based on surgical approach: extracorporeal (Extra), mixed (Mix), and intracorporeal (Intra) approaches. Parameters were retrospectively reviewed, including age, gender, white blood cell (WBC), operation time, operative findings, time to diet, length of hospital stay (LOS), and complications. Statistical analysis was performed separately for simple and complicated appendicitis.

RESULTS

There were 32, 32, and 24 patients with simple appendicitis in Extra, Mix, and Intra respectively. There were 27, 15, and 31 patients with complicated appendicitis in the three groups, respectively. No significant difference was noted in the mean age, gender distribution, or WBCs between the different groups. A higher percentage of patients with complicated appendicitis received intracorporeal approach than those with simple appendicitis (42.5% vs. 27.3%, p=0.044). In simple appendicitis, the LOS was significantly longer in Extra as compared to Mix (p=0.043). Otherwise, the mean LOS, time to diet, and complications were not significantly different. The mean operation time was similar between groups of simple appendicitis (56.5±19.5, 63.6±23.5, and 70.1±23.1 min, p=0.08), whereas it was significantly shorter in Extra of complicated appendicitis (67.6±16.4, 86.6±19.0, and 89.9±23.4 min, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that intracorporeal approach is an independent factor for prolonged operation time in both simple and complicated appendicitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Different approaches of SILA in children have similar outcomes for both simple and complicated appendicitis. Extracorporeal is the most time efficient; however, intracorporeal can be helpful to deal with complex situations.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.