Ligation vs. Clipping of the appendicular stump in laparoscopic appendectomy

Abstract

Appendectomy is the most common surgical procedure performed in general surgery. For almost a century, open appendectomy, first described by Charles McBurney in 1889, has remained the gold standard treatment for acute appendicitis. The introduction of laparoscopic surgery has dramatically changed the field of surgery and laparoscopic surgery has been widely used as a minimally invasive surgery. Laparoscopic appendectomy has emerged as a safe procedure with potential advantages including diagnostic and therapeutic values especially in the females. This study was conducted to evaluate the results of the Intracorporeal ligation versus Titanium clips application in securing the appendicular stump in regarding operative time, operative findings, post-operative complications, hospital stay and return of the patients to their normal daily activities. The mean operating time in the ligation group was longer than that in the titanium clips group (55.62 minutes in ligation group versus 46.44 minutes in clips group). The overall post-operative complications were different in the 2 group. The incidence of wound infection was less in clips group (0 % versus 10 %). The mean hospital stay was shorter in clips group patients than ligation group patients (13.45 versus 18.95 hours).