Choice of incision: the experience and evolution of surgical management of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Purpose: This study evaluated the impact of laparoscopic pyloromyotomy since it came into use at our institution in March 1999.

Materials And Methods: The recovery profiles and intraoperative and postoperative complications of 170 infants who underwent laparoscopic, semicircumumbilical incision, or right upper quadrant incision pyloromyotomies between March 1999 and April 2005 were analyzed.

Results: Eighty-one (48%) of operations were undertaken laparoscopically, 51 (30%) by traditional right upper quadrant incision, and 38 (22%) by semicircumumbilical incision. Patient group demographics were similar across all groups. There was no significant difference in overall complication rate between procedures: laparoscopic group, 12.3% (10/81); semicircumumbilical incision group, 18.4% (7/38); and right upper quadrant incision group, 9.8% (5/51). Early in the laparoscopic series there were 2 inadequate pyloromyotomies and 2 conversions to open procedures due to perforation (n = 1) and poor visibility (n = 1). Infections were more common with open surgery: laparoscopic, 1.2% (n = 1), right upper quadrant incision, 7.8% (n = 4), and semicircumumbilical incision, 13.2% (n = 5). Operative correction was required for herniation at 3 laparoscopic incision sites (3.6%), 2 semicircumumbilical incision sites (5.3%), and 2 right upper quadrant incision sites (3.9%). Patients who underwent laparoscopy returned to full feeds faster (laparoscopic, 18.1 hours; right upper quadrant incision, 28.1 hours; and semicircumumbilical incision, 28.9 hours) (P < 0.05), required less analgesia (laparoscopic, 2.1 doses; right upper quadrant incision, 4.0 doses; and semicircumumbilical incision, 4.3 doses) (P < 0.05), and had less emesis (laparoscopic, 1.6 episodes; right upper quadrant incision, 2.9 episodes; and semicircumumbilical incision, 3.5 episodes) (P < 0.05), resulting in faster discharge (laparoscopic, 2.0 days; right upper quadrant incision, 3.1 days; and semicircumumbilical incision, 3.2 days) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Laparoscopic pyloromytomy is as effective and safe as open procedures and is associated with an improved recovery profile. We conclude that, where laparoscopic skills exist, laparoscopy should be the management of choice for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.