The role of laparoscopic appendectomy in complicated appendicitis is still not widely accepted. The authors report their retrospective study performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the laparoscopic approach in the management of complicated appendicitis.
From January 2003 to October 2008, 552 patients underwent appendectomy in our surgical department. Among these, 358 were not complicated appendicitis while 194 were complicated. Of the 194 cases of complicated appendicitis, 121 patients underwent laparoscopic appendectomy while the remaining 73 cases were treated by conventional open surgery. The average length of hospital stay was 5.7 days, with a range from 4 to 13 days. Post-operative complications were observed in a total 11 patients (9.1%), including 3 cases of intra abdominal abscess (2.5%), 2 cases of umbilical wound infection (1.6%) and 6 cases of prolonged ileus (4.9%).
Our experience suggests that the laparoscopic procedure is a valid, safe and feasible option to manage acute complicated appendicitis.
