Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy for treatment of acute appendicitis: a prospective comparative study

Background and aim of the work: Appendicitis is the most prevalent operational emergency that occurs in any operative unit. It is the most prevalent disorder necessitating an appendectomy. This research aimed to compare laparoscopic and the open appendectomy results regarding surgical duration, hospital stay, postoperative pain, wound infection, hospital mortality rate and conversion rate from laparoscopic to open appendectomy.Patients and methods: it is a prospective comparative study randomized double blinded research for cases with clinical presentation of acute appendicitis conducted on 100 patients at Mansoura university hospital, general surgery department. Period of study was one year from 5 / 10 / 2022 till 5 / 10 /2023.Results: There was statistically significant higher rate of wound infection and higher rate of post-operative pyrexia in open appendectomy group comparing with Laparoscopic appendectomy group p-value less than 0.05. Conversion rate from laparoscopic appendectomy to open appendectomy was 6％ (3 cases). None of patients developed pelvic abscess or fecal fistula. As well as, there was statistically significant longer operative time and longer hospital stay duration and more severe pain in open appendectomy group compared to Laparoscopic appendectomy group p<0.05. Conclusion: we conclude that, the laparoscopic approach is a safe and effective surgical technique for appendectomy which provides clinically positive benefits over the open procedure, like a shorter hospitalization, a lower wound infection rate, and a lower VAS score post-operatively.