Comparative study on surgical outcomes and operative costs of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic appendectomy versus conventional laparoscopic appendectomy in adult patients.

PURPOSE: To reduce the incisional morbidity and improve cosmesis, the authors adopted a single-port laparoscopic appendectomy using a unique "single-port". The authors retrospectively evaluated transumbilical single-port laparoscopic appendectomy (TUSPLA) against conventional laparoscopic appendectomy (CLA) with respect to perioperative outcomes and operative cost in the adult patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed the case of laparoscopic appendectomy between April 2008 and January 2009. Demographic data, operating time, pathology of appendix, hospital stay, surgical morbidities, visual analogue scale pain scores, analgesics requirements, and the operative cost were compared.

RESULTS: Seventy-two underwent TUSPLA and 108 underwent CLA. There were more females in the TUSPLA group. Surgical outcomes were similar between the TUSPLA and the CLA group. Operative cost was significantly lower in the TUSPLA group compared with the CLA group.

CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that TUSPLA was cost saving and produced similar surgical outcomes in selected appendicitis patients compared with CLA.