LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY

Objective: To assess the feasibility and morbidity of laparoscopic appendicectomy. Design: Open study. Setting: Songklanagarind Hospital, Songkla, Thailand. Subjects: 31 consecutive patients who presented with a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Interventions: Laparoscopic appendicectomy through three abdominal punctures. Main outcome measures: Duration of operation, amount of analgesia, length of stay in hospital, and morbidity. Results: Mean duration of operation was 47 minutes, median (range) length of stay in hospital was 2 (1-5) days, and there were no complications during or after the operation. Conclusion: Laparoscopic appendicectomy is safe, the stay in hospital is short, patients recover quickly, with little pain and the cosmetic result is good.