Comparison between laparoscopic and Open surgery in appendectomy and return-to-work

Background : Laparoscopic appendectomy has rapidly become established as the popular alternative to open appendectomy, it has a safety profile better than open procedure. Objectives : Laparoscopic procedure for appendectomy is compared with open surgical Technique with respect to: Duration of procedure, Post-operative pain, Cosmetic benefit, Complication encountered, Post-operative length of hospital stay, Return to the work Methods and materials : A prospective retrospective study that included 200 male and female patients with acute appendicitis, Statistical comparison was made using the X ² test and the Students’ t’ test. Results : In this study, the average pain score was 1.31 ± 0.49 in the laparoscopic surgery group, and the average pain score in the open surgery group was 3.27 ± 0.828, statistical significance (P<0.0001). Vomiting occurred in 20% of laparoscopic surgery patients and 53% of open surgery patients. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.007). Wound infection occurred in 3% of laparoscopic surgery patients and 27% of open surgery patients. The difference was statistically significant (P <0.01), fever occurred in 13% of laparoscopic surgery patients and 27% of open surgery patients, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). The average hospital stay was 1.77 days in laparoscopic patients and 7.73 days in open surgery, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.0001). The average return to work was 9.6 days in laparoscopic patients and 17.67 days in open surgery, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.0001). The average duration of surgery was 36.17 minutes in laparoscopic patients, while it was 17.5 minutes in open surgery patients, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.0001). Postoperative scar satisfaction was higher among patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery (87%), compared to open surgery (50%), with a statistically significant difference (p-value=0.004) Conclusion : Laparoscopic appendectomy was better than open appendectomy in a properly prepared and selected patient in terms of Post-operative pain, Post-operative complications like vomiting, wound infection, fever, Duration of the hospital stay, return to the work, Cosmetic benefit, Overall, laparoscopic appendectomy is better than open appendectomy in the properly selected patients of acute appendicitis at the cost of increase in the duration of the time of surgery.