Routine laparoscopy in male patients with right lower quadrant pain: a single centre experience

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Abstract: Background: Right lower quadrant pain is a common problem in surgical practice. Early diagnosis and treatment avoid unnecessary morbidity and mortality as many of them require surgical intervention. Laparoscopy is the standard recommendation in females of reproductive age group which is both diagnostic and therapeutic. There is no standard recommendation for routine laparoscopy in males who present with acute right lower quadrant pain. Aim of the study: to evaluate the effectiveness of laparoscopy in male patients who present with acute right lower quadrant pain. Patients and methods: We performed a retrospective study in 146 male patients who had undergone laparoscopy for right lower abdominal pain over a period of three years. All the patients underwent laparoscopy within 48 hours of admission. We evaluated preoperative information, laparoscopic diagnosis, post-operative complications and outcome. Results: Total 164 patients were included in the study. 129[88.35%] had features of acute appendicitis of which 15 patients had complicated appendicitis. 14 patients [9.59%] had normally looking appendix and no obvious other pathology was identified. Only 3 patients [2.05%] had alternate diagnosis. 143 patients [97.95%] were successfully managed laparoscopically. There was no mortality or major complications in the study group. Conclusion: Diagnostic laparoscopy an effective tool in accurate diagnosis and treatment of right lower quadrant pain in males with excellent results.