Comparison of clinical outcomes and hospital cost between open appendectomy and laparoscopic appendectomy

Laparoscopic vs mini-incision open appendectomy

AIM: To compare laparoscopic vs mini-incision open appendectomy in light of recent data at our centre.

METHODS: The data of patients who underwent appendectomy between January 2011 and June 2013 were collected. The data included patients’ demographic data, procedure time, length of hospital stay, the need for pain medicine, postoperative visual analog scale of pain, and morbidities. Pregnant women and patients with previous lower abdominal surgery were excluded. Patients with surgery converted from laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) to mini-incision open appendectomy (MOA) were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups: LA and MOA done by the same surgeon. The patients were randomized into MOA and LA groups a computer-generated number. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made by the surgeon with physical examination, laboratory values, and radiological tests (abdominal ultrasound or computed tomography). All operations were performed with general anaesthesia. The postoperative vision analog scale score was recorded at postoperative hours 1, 6, 12, and 24. Patients were discharged when they tolerated normal food and passed gas and were followed up every week for three weeks as outpatients.

RESULTS: Of the 243 patients, 121 (49.9%) underwent MOA, while 122 (50.1%) had laparoscopic appendectomy. There were no significant differences in operation time between the two groups (P = 0.844), whereas the visual analog scale of pain was significantly higher in the open appendectomy group at the 1^st hour (P = 0.001), 6^th hour (P = 0.001), and 12^th hour (P = 0.027). The need for analgesic medication was significantly higher in the MOA group (P = 0.001). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of morbidity rate (P = 0.599). The rate of total complications was similar between the two groups (6.5% in LA vs 7.4% in OA, P = 0.599). All wound infections were treated non-surgically. Six out of seven patients with pelvic abscess were successfully treated with percutaneous drainage; one patient required surgical drainage after a failed percutaneous drainage. There were no differences in the period of hospital stay, operation time, and postoperative complication rate between the two groups. Laparoscopic appendectomy decreases the need for analgesic medications and the visual analog scale of pain.

CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic appendectomy should be considered as a standard treatment for acute appendicitis. Mini-incision appendectomy is an alternative for a select group of patients.