A 10 month experience of the laparoscopic-assisted extra corporeal technique for appendecectomy at district headquarter teaching Hospital/Sargodha Medical College,Sargodha

Aim: to evaluate laparoscopic-assisted extracarporial technique in removing appendix. methods: it was a cross sectional study conducted at surgical unit of dhq teaching hospital/medical college sargodha. we evaluated the surgical time,operation cost,postoperative complications and postoperative hospital stay. the study group consisted of 79 patients operated over a 10 month period from october 2012 to july 2013. results: laparoscopic-assisted extra corporeal appendectomy laea was successfully completed in 74 patients (93.67%). five patients initially scheduled for laparoscopic-assisted extra corporeal appendectomy were converted to open appendecectomy. the conversions were for difficulty in finding out appendix in 2 cases (2.53%),for perforated appendix in one case and for thick adhesions in 3 cases (1.26%). discussion: acute appendicitis is the most common condition leading to emergency abdominal surgery in young adults. conventionally performed open appendectomy sometime becomes very difficult due to technical difficulties,particularly when appendix is not at its normal positions,in very obese and in patients having peritonitis,this will require a larger incision,prolonged operating time,more pain and morbidity,and many problems of large size incision. laparoscopic-assisted extra corporeal technique allows surgeons to use the advantages of the laparoscopic method including visual diagnosis,less postoperative pain,and quicker return to work and less operative time and low cost of traditional open appendecectomy,so it offers the advantages of both the laparoscopic and the open techniques.