Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Between Laparoscopic and Open Extensive Resection for Complicated Appendicitis: Retrospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND The feasibility and safety of laparoscopic extensive resection (ER) for complicated appendicitis (CA) has not been clarified. We assessed the feasibility of laparoscopic ER versus open ER for CA. METHODS We retrospectively enrolled consecutive 983 patients who underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis, including 91 patients who underwent ER for CA, between April 2007 and October 2019. RESULTS Thirty-three patients underwent laparoscopic ER, and 58 patients underwent open ER. There were no significant differences in the reasons for performing ER between laparoscopic ER and open ER. The rates of suspicious for malignant tumor did not differ between laparoscopic and open ER [15.2% (5/33) vs. 17.2% (10/58)]. Blood loss was less in laparoscopic ER than in open ER (P=0.028). Superficial surgical site infection was less frequent in laparoscopic ER than in open ER (P=0.047). In addition, laparoscopic ER tended to be associated with a shorter hospital stay, lower rate of postoperative ileus, and higher rate of intra-abdominal abscess. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic ER is feasible, and it is associated with less intraoperative blood loss and a lower frequency of postoperative superficial surgical site infection than open ER.