A prospective randomised comparison of simple ligation and stump invagination during appendicectomy in Africans.

Of 106 African patients undergoing appendicectomy, 56 patients had stump invagination and 50 had simple ligation. The two groups were similar with respect to age, duration of symptoms, incision, degree of appendix inflammation and post-operative antibiosis. Patients whose wounds were drained were excluded. The frequency of wound infection was 8.9% in stump invagination and 6% in simple ligation. The average operating time was slightly shorter in the group of simple ligation. There was no significant difference in the hospital stay. It was concluded that simple ligation is as good as stump invagination when dealing with the appendix stump during append icectomy (JPMA 38: 134,1988).