RESUMEN
AIM: The laparoscopic treatment of paediatric appendicitis remains controversial, especially in the presence of complications. This study evaluated the outcomes of open appendectomy (OA) and laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) by analysing the data from a multicentre study. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed a series of 2,332 appendectomies (1,506 LA and 826 OA) performed in children and adolescents (median age 8 years) in 9 different centres of paediatric surgery. For the patients operated using laparoscopy, an IN procedure was employed in 921 (61.2%), an OUT procedure in 571 (37.9%) and a MIXED procedure in 14 (0.9%). In the open surgery, a McBurney incision was adopted in 795 patients (96.4%). RESULTS: Median duration of surgery was 40 minutes for LA and 45 minutes for OA. Median hospital stay was 3 days (LA) and 4.3 days (OA) in case of simple appendicitis and 5.2 days (LA) and 8.3 days (OA) in case of peritonitis. Complications were recorded in 124 LA cases (8.2%) and 65 OA cases (7.9%). The conversion rate in laparoscopy was only 1.6% (25 cases). The statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test, and the main significant difference that emerged was the length of hospital stay, which was in favour of laparoscopy compared with open surgery (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in clinical settings where laparoscopic surgical expertise and equipment are available and affordable, LA seems to be an effective and safe alternative to OA. Three out 9 centres participating in our survey perform LA in all patients with a suspicion of appendicitis. Our study shows that laparoscopy significantly reduces hospital stay in case of appendicitis and peritonitis and presents an extremely low conversion rate (1.6%) to open surgery. Laparoscopic transumbilical appendectomy (37.9%) in our series seems to be a simple option, even for less-skilled laparoscopic surgeons.
Asunto(s)
Apendicectomía/métodos , Apendicitis/cirugía , Laparoscopía , Adolescente , Apendicitis/complicaciones , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Estadísticas no Paramétricas , Factores de Tiempo , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Hydrocele seems to be the most frequent complication in children who undergo surgery for varicocele and the issue of the optimal management of hydrocele remains controversial. In this retrospective study we evaluated the incidence and management of hydrocele following surgical treatment of varicocele in children treated at 8 European centers of pediatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a 5-year period 278 children between 7 and 17 years old underwent surgical treatment for unilateral left varicocele, including 187 using video surgery and 91 via an open inguinal approach. RESULTS: At an average followup of 24 months (range 12 to 60) 34 children (12.2%) had a left hydrocele. Of the 278 children 14 (5%) were lost to followup. The hydrocele appeared between 1 week and 44 months (median 2 months) after surgery. Concerning hydrocele management 16 of 34 children (47%) were treated with scrotal puncture while under local anesthesia, which led to hydrocele regression after a median of 3 punctures (range 1 to 5), 12 (35.3%) underwent clinical observation since the hydrocele reduced spontaneously within a median of 12 months after its appearance and 6 (17.7%) were treated with open surgery. In 4 cases the hydrocele disappeared and in 2 it recurred after surgery and was successfully treated with punctures. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the median incidence of hydrocele after varicocele surgery is about 12% but it seems higher after artery nonsparing vs sparing procedures (17.6% vs 4.3%). On the contrary, no difference was found when the procedure was performed using video surgery or with the open approach. Hydroceles generally develop a few months later but may also appear several years after the surgical repair of varicocele. Noninvasive procedures (scrotal punctures or clinical observation) seem to induce total hydrocele regression in more than 82% of cases. Children who undergo surgery for varicocele should undergo long-term followup to detect a possible hydrocele. In fact, the 5.4% of children lost to followup in our study may potentially have had a hydrocele. Surgery is not always successful for this condition, as shown in the 2 cases of recurrent hydrocele after surgical repair.