Clinical Outcomes and Costs of Laparoscopic Versus Open Appendectomy for Appendicitis

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between open appendectomy (OA) and laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) for both uncomplicated appendicitis (UA) and complicated appendicitis (CA) and to help to choose the appropriate procedure for its management. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent OA (OA group) or LA (LA group) for UA or CA between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011, were retrospectively reviewed. Results: For UA, time to a soft diet (1.5±0.7 in OA versus 1.4±0.7 days in LA, p=0.0010) and the length of hospital stay (3.9±1.5 in OA versus 3.3±1.4 days in LA, p<0.0001) were significantly shorter in the LA group. The length of hospital stay for CA was significantly shorter in the LA group than in the OA group (7.5±3.8 versus 4.9±2.8 days, p=0.0012). Complication rates were not significantly different between the LA and OA groups for both UA and CA. Conclusions: We conclude that for CA, clinical outcomes were better in the LA than in the OA group. For UA, there were no significant advantages of LA considering expensive hospital costs. The results of this study suggest that LA is the procedure of choice for patients with complicated appendicitis.