Open appendectomy is the ‘gold standard’ for the treatment of acute appendicitis. Laparoscopic appendectomy though widely practiced has not gained universal approval. Although it is a generally safe operation, postoperative complications occur in few patients. Laparoscopic appendectomy was first described in 1983. Reports of early studies were equivocal with few studies evaluating analgesic req...

BACKGROUND Postoperative serum inflammatory cytokine levels are thought to reflect the magnitude of surgical stress. Cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an early marker of systemic inflammatory response and tissue damage. This study evaluated levels of IL-6 after open and laparoscopic appendectomy to compare the degree of surgical stress associated with these procedures. METHODS IL-6 levels were...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic appendectomy versus open appendectomy at Baptist Hospital in Miami, Florida. METHODS A retrospective review was performed on all appendectomies performed at Baptist Hospital from October 1, 1994 to September 30, 1995. There were a total of 244 cases; 137 open appendectomies and 107 laparoscopic appendecto...

BACKGROUND In surgical trials, complex variables such as equipment development and surgeons' learning curve are involved. The evidence obtained in these trials can thus fluctuate over time. We explored the stability of the evidence obtained during surgery by conducting a cumulative meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for open and laparoscopic appendectomy. METHODS We conducted a cum...

BACKGROUND Open appendectomy is still the most common method of treating appendicitis. Laparoscopic procedures for removal of the appendix by the "in" technique as an alternative to conventional appendectomy have gained wide popularity, but have been criticized for their technical difficulty and high cost. We assessed the safety and efficacy of the laparoscope-assisted appendectomy (the two-tro...

PURPOSE The laparoscopic appendectomy has been a basic part of the principal of a more complex laparoscopic technique for the surgical trainee. As the number of laparoscopic appendectomies performed by surgical trainees has increased, we are trying to check the stability of, which is controversial, and the learning curve associated with a laparoscopic appendectomy. METHODS We studied the demo...