[SILS appendectomy for acute appendicitis - two-year experience]

The study aims to present our two-year experience with SILS (Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery) appendectomy in patients operated on for acute appendicitis symptoms. The results obtained were analysed and then compared with patients operated by standard laparoscopy, as well as with data available from the published literature with emphasis on safety and advantages of a new operating technique.

A retrospective analysis of patients operated on at the Third Department of Surgery, Slovak Medical University, the Košice-Šaca Hospital, a.s., in the past two years was performed. Age, sex, BMI, length of operation, post-operative hospitalization period, occurrence of pre- and post-operative complications were evaluated.

In the period from 1 November 2009 to 31 October 2011, 116 patients were operated on by the authors, 47 of them by the SILS technique. The group included 26 males and 21 females with average age of 37.13 years (18-80) and average BMI 26.3 kg/m2 (18-47.1). Average length of the operation was 54.81 minutes (30-100). The length of post-operative hospital stay was 3.83 days (2-6). An abscess in the surgical wound was found in three patients. One patient had to be reoperated due to a pericaecal abscessed hematoma. Incisional hernia was not observed in our group.

Our results are comparable with the data from international published literature and confirm that the SILS appendectomy is a safe method and represents an appropriate alternative to the standard laparoscopic technique. It is suitable for surgeons with advanced experience in laparoscopy. Apart from the excellent cosmetic effect, other advantages or disadvantages in comparison with standard laparoscopy will require confirmation by prospective randomized studies.