OUTCOMES OF LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY AS COMPARED TO OPEN APPENDECTOMY

Background: Appendectomy is the commonest surgical procedure performed in general surgery, and is done by both open and laparoscopic methods because of absence of consensus as to which procedure is most appropriate procedure. We decided to evaluate the outcomes of the 2 procedures to share our experience with the international community. Methods: Patients with suspected acute appendicitis who underwent laparoscopic (LA) (n=25) and open (n=25) appendectomy (OA) over a duration of 6 months from July 2020 to December 2020 were analyzed. Clinical results were compared among the 2 groups in relation to operative time, length of hospital stay and postoperative complications. Results: Mean age of patients was 28.2±4.3 years in the laparoscopic and 27.3±3.7 years in the open group. Patient demographics were similar in both groups. There was short hospital stay (1.1±0.3 in LA and 3.2±0.6 days in OA). Operative time was short (36.8 ± 22.3 in LA and 28.9 ± 18.3 minutes in OA) in the open group. Total number of complications was less in the laparoscopic group; however, there was no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: The laparoscopic appendectomy is a safe and less morbid procedure. It provides many advantages over open appendectomy, including short hospital duration and earlier return to normal activities. Where available, laparoscopic appendectomy should undertaken as the initial operation of choice for most cases of suspected appendicitis. Key Words: Laparoscopic appendectomy, Suspected appendicitis