Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Patients with acute appendicitis should have their appendix removed urgently, so the risk of perforation and peritonitis can be prevented. Appendectomy can be performed laparoscopically. This technique helps patients recuperate faster, is associated to much lower postoperative discomfort, and has also some additional benefits:

1. Laparoscopy offers the opportunity to the surgeon to easily explore the rest of the patientʼs abdominal cavity to rule out the possibility of any other pathology.

2. Laparoscopy facilitates more optimal and thorough irrigation of the whole abdominal cavity. This is particularly important when appendicitis is complicated by perforation and there is pus in the abdomen.

3. Laparoscopic appendectomy is much faster compared to the “open technique”. This leads of course to shorter anesthesia time as well.

4. When acute appendicitis is perforated, laparoscopic appendectomy expedites the completion of the operation and lowers the risk of wound infection postoperatively.

Obviously, all the above are true when the surgeon who performs it is a true expert in laparoscopic techniques.