Comparative study of single incision versus conventional three port laparoscopic appendectomy

Abstract

Background: Appendicitis is primarily a disease of adolescents and young adults with a peak incidence in the second and third decades of life. Appendectomy for appendicitis is the most commonly performed emergency operation in the world.For more than a century, open appendectomy remained the gold standard for the treatment of acute appendicitis. Laparoscopic surgery has become popular universally during the last couple of decades. Efforts are still being made to decrease abdominal incision and visible scars after laparoscopy. Single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is a new innovation allowing minimal access surgery to be performed through a single umbilical incision.Methods: It was a prospective study carried out on 50 patients diagnosed as acute appendicitis. They were divided into two groups of 25 each. One group underwent Conventional Laparoscopic Appendectomy (CLA) and other group underwent Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS). Results were compared with regard to mean operative time, complications, post-operative pain and discomfort (vas score at 12 hours), post-operative morbidity, duration of hospital stay and condition at discharge and cosmesis.Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to the parameters like postoperative pain, hospital stay and complication profile. However, operative time for SILS appendectomy were found to be significantly higher compared to conventional group.Conclusions: Single incision laparoscopic appendectomy using standard laparoscopic instruments is safe and effective, feasible surgery with better cosmetic results.