Safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic appendectomy in patients undergoing abdominal surgery

Abstract Background Although laparoscopic appendectomy is the criterion-standard treatment method for acute appendicitis, the decision on laparoscopic or conventional technique is usually made according to individual perspectives. The reasons affecting this individual point of view include whether the disease is complicated, the infrastructure of the hospital, the patient's comorbid factors, and previous intra-abdominal operations. This cross-sectional retrospective study aimed to evaluate the safety of laparoscopic appendectomy in patients with a possible diagnosis of “appendicitis” in patients who had undergone previous abdominal surgery. Methods Patients who were operated on with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in our clinic between March 2021 and March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were grouped as those with a history of abdominal surgery (group 1) and without (group 2). In addition, demographic data of the patients (age, sex), body mass index, presence of comorbid disease, history of abdominal surgery, operation time, rate of conversion to open surgery, postoperative hospital stay, complications, and radiological and pathological appendix size were recorded. Results A total of 181 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 32.51 ± 15.89 years. Seventy (38.7%) of the patients were female, and 111 (61.3%) were male. Thirty-four patients (18.8%) were in group 1, and 111 patients (81.2%) were in group 2. The mean age, body mass index, and operation time in group 1 were statistically higher than in group 2 (P < 0.001). However, there was no difference between the groups regarding postoperative hospital stay, radiological and pathological appendix size, conversion to open surgery, and presence and severity of complications (P > 0.05). Conclusion In line with the data the authors have shown in their study, a laparoscopic appendectomy can be performed safely in patients who have undergone abdominal surgery. Therefore, surgeons should not stray from a laparoscopic appendectomy when they see an abdominal incision.