Outpatient laparoscopic appendectomy in children: a single center experience with 92 cases.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to present the possibility of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) in children as an outpatient procedure.

Methods: A total of 129 pediatric patients underwent LA at our clinic from July 2009 to September 2011. As, in our treatment protocol, patients with gangrenous and perforated appendicitis would not be placed in an early-discharge list, patients who had gangrenous and perforated appendicitis (37 cases) were excluded from this study because these patients usually receive inpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy for 48 to 72 hours. Finally, 92 pediatric patients who had undergone LA for the treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis were evaluated retrospectively.

Results: Eighty-five of 92 patients (92.4%) were discharged in <24 hours and the mean postoperative length of hospital stay was 14.1 hours. Readmissions to the emergency room were not seen during the postoperative period. Complications such as wound infection, trocar site hernia, adhesive small-bowel obstruction, and abscess formation did not occur.

Conclusions: We recommend that an LA can be performed safely as an outpatient procedure in children with uncomplicated appendicitis.