TY - JOUR T1 - Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy in females with a clinical diagnosis of appendicitis JF - Saudi Medical Journal JO - Saudi Med J SP - 1339 LP - 1342 VL - 23 IS - 11 AU - Abdulrahman S. Al-Mulhim AU - Faisal M. Al-Mulhim AU - Abdulmohsen A. Al-Suwaiygh AU - Nabil A. Al-Masaud Y1 - 2002/11/01 UR - http://smj.org.sa/content/23/11/1339.abstract N2 - OBJECTIVE: Appendectomy can be performed using either a laparoscopic technique (LT) or an open technique (OT). We compared the following items operative, anesthesia, length of stay, post-operative pain, medicine, wound healing, days to return to normal activity in both groups.METHODS: This study was carried out at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Al-Hassa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from January 1999 to April 2000. We randomly assigned 60 female patients to appendectomy by LT or OT. The 2 groups were compared concerning demographic data. The differences were considered statistically significant at a P value < 0.05.RESULTS: The open group had shorter anesthesia and operative time (68, 50 versus 85, 65 minutes). The laparoscopic group had a significant reduced postoperative narcotic requirement (P<0.05), quicker reintroduction of diet and quicker return to normal activity.CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic appendectomy in female patients with clinical diagnosis of appendicitis is the procedure of choice for the diagnosis and the management of acute appendicitis. ER -