Single incision laparoscopic appendicectomy versus conventional laparoscopic appendicectomy- a prospective study

Abstract

Background: The advent of Single incision laparoscopic appendicectomy (SILA) has encouraged surgeons to compare its benefits over conventional laparoscopic appendicectomy (CLA). We conducted a prospective study comparing SILA with CLA, evaluating parameters like operative time and complications, post-operative pain, duration of stay and the cosmetic outcome.Methods: A prospective, comparative study of 94 consecutive patients was conducted at our institution between December 2014 and May 2016. The data regarding the various parameters were documented in both groups of patients.Results: Among the 94 patients, 30 underwent SILA and 64 underwent CLA. We found statistically significant outcomes for SILA over CLA in variables such as operative time (p=0.0018), duration of hospital stay (p≤0.0001) and cosmetic outcome (p≤0.0001). Almost all patients in the SILA category showed no evidence of a scar after a three month follow up.Conclusions: SILA was found to have a better outcome than CLA with regard to operative time, hospital stay and cosmesis. We conclude that this technique of SILA can be a better alternative to CLA.