Transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted versus 3-port laparoscopic and open appendectomy: a case-control study in children.

Introduction: Aim of this study was to compare the short-term outcome of transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted (TULAA) with laparoscopic (LA) and open appendectomy (OA) in a case-control study.

Materials And Methods: Our first 20 consecutive children with appendicitis treated with TULAA were matched to 20 patients treated with LA and OA, respectively. Matching criteria were age, sex, and the histology of appendicitis. The children were retrospectively evaluated for outcome, efficacy, and complications.

Results: No significant differences between the groups were found, except that children operated by OA required less analgesics than children operated by LA and TULAA.

Discussion: TULAA appears to be a safe procedure with no disadvantage except for postoperative pain, which needed a longer course of analgesics compared to OA. Whether TULAA has advantages over LA and OA has to be evaluated in larger prospective series.