Laparoscopic appendectomy with hand-made loop.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal pathology requiring emergent surgical procedure. For treatment, laparoscopic surgery is commonly performed. For appendix stump closure different procedures are used.

Aim: Evaluation of the results of patients in whom the stump of the appendix was closed with a hand-made loop during laparoscopic appendectomy (LA).

Material And Methods: Patients in whom the stump of the appendix was closed with a hand-made loop during LA were included in the study. Reports of patients were collected from patient files retrospectively. Laparoscopic appendectomy was applied through 3 ports. Two loops were placed in the stump of the appendix. Loop was a modification of the Roeder loop that has been described in the literature and has been shown to be safe.

Results: Sixty-one patients were included in the study. Twenty-four of them (39%) were female, 37 of them (61%) were male. The age range is from 13 to 60 (average age is 30) years. During the postoperative period, one surgical wound infection and two intraabdominal abscesses were detected. There was no leakage from the stump of the appendix in any patients.

Conclusions: One of the most important components of cost of LA is the technique of closure of the stump. Stapler, endoloop, various clips or a hand-made loop could be used for closure. We recommend using a hand-made loop for closure as an easy, safe and cheap method.