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[Complicated appendicitis in children: laparoscopy or Mac Burney incision?]
V Plattner1, P Raffaitin, E Mirallié
1Service de Chirurgie Infantile, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire, Hôpital Mère-Enfant, Nantes.
Annales De Chirurgie
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Laparoscopic appendectomy is safe for complicated appendicitis in children, showing fewer wound infections than open surgery. Long-term outcomes require further evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
Background:
- Complicated appendicitis, including abscess or peritonitis, requires prompt surgical intervention.
- Open appendectomy via McBurney incision (MB) and laparoscopic appendectomy (LAP) are common surgical approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the outcomes of open (MB) versus laparoscopic (LAP) appendectomy in children with complicated appendicitis.
- To evaluate complication rates, operating time, and hospital stay between the two surgical methods.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study of 150 children (mean age 8.5 years) with complicated appendicitis and positive peritoneal fluid bacteriology.
- Comparison between the McBurney incision group (n=92) and the laparoscopic group (n=58).
- All patients received parenteral antibiotics.
Main Results:
- Laparoscopic appendectomy had a longer mean operating time (63 min vs. 43 min) and a 12% conversion rate.
- No significant difference in overall complication rates, but wound infections were more frequent in the MB group (p=0.008).
- Mean hospital stay was similar (8.4 days), with late complications occurring only in the MB group.
Conclusions:
- Laparoscopic appendectomy is a safe and effective option for complicated appendicitis in children.
- The primary short-term advantage of laparoscopy is cosmetic.
- Further research is needed to assess long-term complication rates for laparoscopic appendectomy.