Background: Laparoscopic appendectomy is a well-described surgical technique. However, concerns still exist regarding whether the closure of the appendiceal stump should be done with a clip, an endoloop, staples, or other techniques. Therefore, several modifications to the original technique with new materials have been introduced for appendiceal stump closure. The aim of this study was to compare intracorporeal (polyglactin) knot-tying suture with titanium endoclips in appendiceal stump closure during laparoscopic appendectomy.
Methods: The study was carried out as a prospective randomized clinical trial between April 2010 and February 2011. Patients with a presentation of appendicitis were included into the study. Two groups were defined-patients with the titanium endoclip and patients with the knot-tying (polyglactin) suture. The results in terms of operating time, complication rates, and hospital stay were analyzed.
Results: Sixty-one patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy were enrolled in the titanium endoclip group (n = 30) or the knot-tying (polyglactin) suture group (n = 31). No statistically significant differences were detected between the groups in terms of the distribution of age, sex percentage, appendix localization, and histopathologic diagnosis (P > 0.05). One patient required a second operation on postoperative day 10 because of intraperitoneal abscess. The mean operative time for the endoclip group (41.27 +/- 12.2 min) was shorter than that for the knot-tying group (62.81 +/- 15.4 min) (P = 0.001). No statistically significant differences were detected between the groups in terms of hospital stay, follow-up time, and preoperative and postoperative complications (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: In laparoscopic appendectomy, using a titanium endoclip for optimizing and controlling the appendiceal stump closure is safe and is associated with shorter operation time. This also simplifies the procedure, so it can be a useful alternative to intracorporeal knot-tying for appendiceal stump closure.