Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Clinical Application of Single-Surgeon, Three-Port, Laparoscopic Resection for Colorectal Cancer with Natural Orifice Specimen Extraction
Published on: March 24, 2023
Reduced social morbidity of laparoscopic appendectomy in children
Joselito G Tantoco1, Marc A Levitt, Celeste M Hollands
1Miniature Access Surgery Teaching, Training, and Robotic Research Center, The Women's and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14222, USA.
Insights
Laparoscopic appendectomy significantly reduces social morbidity in children compared to open surgery. This approach leads to faster recovery, earlier return to school, and fewer complications for both patients and their families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
Background:
- Laparoscopic appendectomy adoption varies among pediatric surgeons.
- Children's hospitals perceive benefits for patients and families with laparoscopic appendectomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if laparoscopic appendectomy in children results in less social morbidity compared to open appendectomy.
- To quantify the impact on patient and family return to normal activities.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire assessed postoperative social morbidity variables.
- Families provided responses in numerical ranges for 10 variables.
- Pearson chi2 test analyzed data; P < 0.05 defined statistical significance.
Main Results:
- Laparoscopic appendectomy showed shorter hospital stays and earlier resumption of feeding and school.
- Patients experienced earlier return to pain-free walking, stair climbing, and normal activities.
- Fewer wound problems, less pain medication use, and quicker parental return to work were observed.
Conclusions:
- Laparoscopic appendectomy significantly reduces social morbidity for pediatric patients.
- This minimally invasive approach benefits children and their families by accelerating recovery and return to daily life.
Abstract:
Laparoscopic appendectomy has not been uniformly adopted by pediatric surgeons. Our children's hospital adopted laparoscopic appendectomy due to perceived benefits to patients and their families. We hypothesized that laparoscopic appendectomy in children resulted in less social morbidity than those undergoing open appendectomy. A questionnaire focused on a set of postoperative variables affecting the patient's and the family's return to normal activities. Families expressed their answers as a range of days. Five different ranges were assigned a numerical value for 10 different social morbidity variables. The numerical values were analyzed using Pearson chi2 test; statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. The response rate was 55 per cent (134 of 244). Seventy-four had open and 47 laparoscopic appendectomy with a comparable incidence of acute and perforated appendicitis. Children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy had shorter hospital stays and earlier resumption of feeding, return to school, return to pain-free walking and stair climbing, and resumption of normal activities including gym. Additionally, they had fewer wound problems, shorter duration of oral pain medication usage, and their parents returned to work quicker than the open group. All these were statistically significant. Laparoscopic appendectomy results in significantly reduced social morbidity for children and their families.
