Efficacy of a Laparoscopic Appendectomy When Performed by Surgeons Early in Their Laparoscopic Training Courses

Joo, Kyu Hwa; Son, Byung Ho; Kim, Hyung Ook; Hwang, Sang Il; Kim, HungDai; Han, Won Kon

Abstract

PURPOSE
Laparoscopic surgery has many advantages and has been a popular method for the treatment of various diseases. Although a laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is now a common practice, it has not yet become the treatment of choice for appendicitis of inexperienced surgeons in their early days of individual laparoscopic training courses. The purpose of this study was to compare the results obtained by inexperienced surgeons to those obtained by experienced surgeons.
METHODS
From May 2007 to January 2008, 130 patients underwent a LA at our department. The surgeries were performed by three surgeons. The patients were divided into 2 groups. In Group I, the LAs were performed by one surgeon who was experienced with laparoscopic procedures, and in Group II, the LAs were performed by two surgeons who were relatively inexperienced with laparoscopic procedures. We retrospectively reviewed patient's medical records for age, sex, previous abdomen operation history, operation method, operation time, surgical complications, length of hospital stay, and the time to resume soft diet.
RESULTS
The age was younger in Group I (29.8+/-18.2 vs. 36.0+/-16.0 yr, P=0.041). The operation time was longer in Group II (48.4+/-28.7 vs. 64.1+/-30.0 min, P=0.003). In Group I, wound infections developed in 4 cases. In Group II, wound infections developed in 7 cases, and an intraabdominal abscess developed in 1 case. The differences in conversion rates, times to start of diet, uses of analgesics, and hospital stays were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION
Even though an inexperienced surgeon performs the LA for acute appendicitis, there are no differences in postoperative complications and returns to daily activities compared to a LA performed for acute appendicitis by an experienced surgeon. LA is a safe method for the treatment of acute appendicitis for surgeons who are new to laparoscopic procedures.