title: Cost Comparison between Laparoscopic and Open Appendectomies in Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) for children has become very popular and is routinely performed in most health care centres around the world. The cost of surgical procedures is always a concern for patients and health care providers. This study compares, the total cost of open appendectomy (OA) with LA in children who required an appendectomy for acute appendicitis. Suitable and safe cost-effective techniques were also explored to reduce the cost of these procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of all the children (ranging between 0 and 12 years) at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Oman, who required OA or LA from June 2009 to July 2011, were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LA were performed in 75 patients while OA were done in 34. Patients from the OA and LA groups were age- and gender-matched. The average operative time was 76 minutes for LA and 49 minutes for OA (P <0.001) while the average hospital stay was 3.14 days for LA and 2.15 days for OA (P = 0.08). The average cost of the two procedures was Omani riyals (OMR) 534 for LA and OMR 343 for OA (P = 0.00). The complication rate following procedures was lower in the case of LA, however this was not statistically significant (LA = 8% versus OA = 11.7 %, P = 0.32).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LA are costlier procedures than OA, however they are as safe as OA, and do not increase morbidity or the duration of hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Shahzad Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Zainab N
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Al-Balushi
authors.forename: Khalid M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bhatti
authors.forename: Toufique
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ehsan
authors.forename: Prakash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mandhan
keywords: Appendectomy; Appendicitis; Costs and Cost Analysis; Oman