LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY – AN EFFECTIVE SURGICAL APPROACH FOR ACUTE APPENDICITIS

Abstract

Acute appendicitis is one of the most frequent surgical emergencies globally, and 
appendectomy remains the definitive treatment. While open appendectomy has 
historically been considered the standard procedure, laparoscopic appendectomy has 
increasingly gained prominence as a minimally invasive alternative. This study aimed 
to compare the outcomes of laparoscopic and open appendectomy in patients with 
uncomplicated acute appendicitis. A prospective comparative analysis was conducted 
on 80 patients between 2023 and 2024, with 40 undergoing open appendectomy and 
40 undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy. Key parameters analyzed included 
operative time, postoperative pain, hospital stay, and complication rates. The results 
demonstrated that although laparoscopic appendectomy was associated with a longer 
operative time (55.3 ± 9.5 minutes vs. 46.5 ± 8.2 minutes, p=0.02), it provided 
significant clinical benefits such as reduced pain duration (1.9 ± 0.7 vs. 3.8 ± 1.1 days, 
p<0.01), shorter hospital stay (3.1 ± 1.0 vs. 6.2 ± 1.4 days, p<0.001), and fewer 
complications (5% vs. 15%, p=0.04). These findings confirm that laparoscopic 
appendectomy is a safe and effective surgical approach for acute appendicitis, 
particularly in uncomplicated cases, offering superior recovery and reduced morbidity 
compared to open surgery.