Abstract: Background: Appendicectomy is the most common surgical procedure performed in emergency surgery. Because of lack of consensus about the most appropriate technique, appendectomy is still being performed by both open (OA) and laparoscopic (LA) methods. Laparoscopic appendicectomy is likely to have less postoperative pain, early discharge, decreased wound infection, better cosmesis and also early return to routine work. The advantages of laparoscopic appendicectomy over open appendicectomy are questioned over and over.
Objective: The primary objective of this study was to compare the laparoscopic approach and the conventional technique in the treatment of acute appendicitis.
Materials and Methods: The study included 200 cases, 100 open appendicectomy cases and 100 laporoscopic appendicectomy cases, which were randomly selected and were operated in department of surgery, Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad. The following parameters were observed during follow up in comparison between two procedures, post operative pain; duration of analgesic use; post operative complications like vomiting, ileus, abdominal abscess and wound infection. Chi-square test and student t- test were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Pain score was relatively high for open group when compared to laparoscopic group. Post operative complications like vomiting and ileus were lower in laparoscopic group. There is significant reduction in incidence of post operative wound infection in laparoscopic group. Laparoscopic appendectomy was associated with a shorter hospital stay. The return to normal activity was low for laparoscopic group compared to open group. Operative time was significantly shorter in the open group.
Conclusions: The laparoscopic approach is a safe and efficient operative procedure in appendectomy and it provides clinically beneficial advantages over open method.
