Comparison of Open versus Laparoscopic Appendectomy in Patients with Acute Appendicitis in Terms of Postoperative Complications
Author(s): Awni Ismail Sultan*, Sami Hassoon Ali and Mohammed Mohammud Habash
Abstract
Although laparoscopy in abdominal surgery is considered a gold standard, some surgeons still question its safety. Therefore, this study aims to compare potential postoperative complications of traditional open appendectomy versus laparoscopy in patients with acute appendicitis. This retrospective analysis was conducted for patients in Iraqi hospitals within the cities of Kirkuk and Jalawla from February 2020 and continued until May 2022. A total of 260 patients who underwent appendectomy were enrolled in 2 groups, the first for open surgery and the second for laparoscopic surgery. The basic characteristics of groups, the surgical approaches and their results (postoperative complications) were studied. The results proved that 140 (53.8%) patients had undergone open surgery versus 120 (46.2%) had undergone laparoscopy, and the majority of them were of the age group (18-30) years and they were females 46 (56.79%). The complication rates after open surgery were significantly higher in terms of surgical site infection (14.3%), paralytic ileus (5.0%) and abdominal abscess (1.9%) compared to the laparoscopic approach (6.5%, 0.8%, and 0.0% respectively). Thus, it has been concluded that laparoscopic appendectomy is a typical and safe surgical procedure.