COMPARATIVE OUTCOMES OF LAPAROSCOPIC VERSUS OPEN APPENDECTOMY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

This study conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the results of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) with open appendectomy (OA) in patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis from May 2023 to April 2024 at Northwest General Hospital and Research Center Peshawar. A total of eighty-eight patients were randomly divided into two groups, with an equal number of patients in each group, referred to as the LA group and the OA group. The LA group had a significantly longer duration of surgery (60.3 ± 15.2 minutes vs. 45.8 ± 10.4 minutes, p < 0.001) but experienced less pain after the operation (VAS score: 3.2 ± 1.1 vs. 5.6 ± 1.3, p < 0.001), had shorter hospital stays (2.1 ± 0.5 days vs. 3.4 ± 0.7 days, p < 0.001), and returned to normal activities more quickly (7.2 ± 2.1 days vs. 11.5 ± 3.4 days, p < 0.001). The LA group exhibited a decreased overall incidence of complications (13.6% vs. 31.8%, p = 0.03) and higher patient satisfaction levels (8.5 ± 0.8 vs. 6.9 ± 1.2, p < 0.001). The findings indicate that LA is a more effective method than OA for managing acute appendicitis, providing notable advantages in terms of postoperative recuperation and patient contentment.