Modified Lanz incision in appendicectomy - the surgical trainees best friend

Appendicitis is one of the commonest acute surgical diseases and treatment by appendicectomy is the most frequently performed surgical procedure in the western world. After obtaining adequate basic surgical experience, an open appendicectomy is an ideal procedure for junior surgical trainees to develop their operative skills and despite a reduction in training hours, recent figures suggest that surgical SHOs still perform about 30% of these cases. Although they are clearly routine and suitable for junior staff to perform under supervision, as many as 20% of appendicectomies, are for a variety of reasons considered difficult. We aim to be the first to present a modified Lanz incision that we believe provides not only a cosmetic scar but also is placed more frequently over the base of the appendix. It gives adequate access in difficult cases and we feel this is the most appropriate incision for a trainee to use when performing an appendicectomy.