title: Utility of the laparoscopic approach to surgical treatment of acute appendicitis in a single surgical unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute appendicitis (AA) is one of the most common reasons for emergency surgery within the abdominal cavity in Poland.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare outcomes of surgical treatment of AA using both classical (OA) and laparoscopic methods (LA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of 299 patients (157 men and 142 women) operated on in 2008-2011 due to AA. The following comparisons between LA and OA were done: mean operative time, mean hospital stay after surgery, conversion rate, proportion of LA to OA in successive years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Laparoscopic appendectomy was performed in 170 (56.9%) patients (74 men and 96 women), whereas OA was done in 89 (29.8%) patients (44 men and 45 women). In 13.4% of patients (24 men and 16 women) conversion from LA to OA was done. Mean operating time was 53.4 ±16.1 min (range: 25-100 min) for LA, and 55.4 ±20.2 min (range: 20-140 min) for OA; p = 0.64. Mean hospital stay after LA was 4.0 ±1.2 days (range: 2-9 days), while it was 6.0 ±4.2 days (range: 2-28 days) after OA; p < 0.001. Laparoscopic appendectomy was 24.1% of all appendectomies performed in the year 2008, 54.1% in the year 2009, and in consecutive years 71.7% in 2010 and 65.6% in 2011.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopic appendectomy method did not require longer surgery times and entailed shorter hospital stays as compared with OA. In our opinion, LA should be the preferred approach in surgical treatment of AA in adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Public Health Care Medical Centre, Staszow, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pragacz
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine Surgery, Third Chair of General Surgery, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barczyński
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, St Alexander Hospital, Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuchciński
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, St Alexander Hospital, Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zieliński
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of General, Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ireneusz
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nawrot
keywords: acute appendicitis; laparoscopic appendectomy; open appendectomy
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