Laparoscopic vs open appendectomy in older patients.
OBJECTIVE
The results of a meta-analysis of individual studies comparing laparoscopic vs open appendectomy in older patients may guide the choice of surgical approach.


METHODS
Meta-analysis.


METHODS
Academic research.


METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for comparative studies of older patients with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis.


METHODS
Primary outcomes were postoperative mortality and overall morbidity. Secondary outcomes were operative time, length of hospital stay, postoperative wound infection, and intra-abdominal collection. Using the lowest threshold from the articles included, older patients were defined as those older than 60 years.


RESULTS
Analyzed were 6 studies comprising 15 852 appendectomies (4398 laparoscopic and 11 454 open procedures). Laparoscopic appendectomy was associated with significant reductions in postoperative mortality (pooled odds ratio, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.37), postoperative complications (pooled odds ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50-0.73), and length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference, -0.51 days; 95% CI, -0.64 to -0.37 days) (P < .05 for all). No significant group differences were observed in operative time, postoperative wound infection, or intra-abdominal collection.


CONCLUSIONS
In older patients, laparoscopic appendectomy is associated with reduced postoperative mortality and morbidity, although randomized data are required to infer causality. A health economic analysis with quality-of-life metrics is needed to investigate potential benefits of the reduced length of hospital stay observed following laparoscopic appendectomy in this cohort.
Department of General Surgery, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Surrey, UK.
Eleanor
E
Southgate
Nicola
N
Vousden
Alan
A
Karthikesalingam
Sheraz R
SR
Markar
Stephen
S
Black
Ahsan
A
Zaidi
D000368:Aged; D001062:Appendectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000601:surgery; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007902:Length of Stay; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome