Surgical management of acute appendicitis in adults: A review of current techniques

Abstract

Acute appendicitis is one of the most frequent disorders in abdominal surgery. Therefore, appendectomy is a matter of significant interest in that field. Yet, four different techniques are available: open appendectomy, (conventional) laparoscopic appendectomy, single port laparoscopic appendectomy and NOTES-appendectomy with its different variations. To evaluate the current state of the art in appendectomy a bibliographic search was conducted. All prospectively randomized trials and national register cohort studies published between 1/2010 and 5/2016 were included into the analysis. Overall, 25 respective studies were identified. All studies were screened for the following parameters: surgical site infection (SSI) (wound infection (WI) or intraabdominal abscess (IAA)), postoperative pain (PP), length of surgery (LoS), length of hospital stay (LHS), return to normal activities (RNA). Today the rate of laparoscopic appendectomy is reported to be up to 86% in the recent literature. Open appendectomy remains a safe and effective technique. Single port laparoscopic appendectomy presented almost equal in terms of safety and patient satisfaction. The method is still not as widespread as conventional three port laparoscopic appendectomy, presumably due to the necessity of special equipment and training. NOTES appendectomy is the newest development in appendectomy technique. First prospective cohort studies proved the safety and feasibility in experienced hands. However, the method is still experimental and further prospectively randomized trials are necessary. Concluding the current evidence, a laparoscopic approach, which is most commonly and increasingly frequently used, could be called “state of the art” in the treatment of appendicitis.