BACKGROUND:Because of lack of good evidence supporting laparoscopic approach for complicated appendicitis, we carried out this study to evaluate efficacy of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) in management of patients with complicated appendicitis.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study was carried out in Surgical Department, Minia University, Egypt involving 214 patients underwent appendectomy for complicated appendicitis over three years. 132 patients underwent LA and remaining 82 patients underwent OA. Parameters studied included operating time, return to oral feeding, postoperative pain, wound infection, intra-abdominal abscess, duration of abdominal drainage and hospital stay.RESULTS:There were four conversions, two due to extensive cecal adhesions and two due to friable appendix. LA took longer time to perform (p = 0.0002) but with less use of analgesics (p < 0.0001), shorter hospital stay (p < 0.0001), shorter duration of abdominal drainage (p < 0.0001) and lower incidence of wound infection (p = 0.0005). Nine patients in LA and seven patients in OA group developed intra-abdominal abscess treated successfully with sonographic guided percutaneous drainage. Postoperative ileus was recorded in two patients in LA group and three patients in OA group, chest infection in one patient in OA group, hernia in one patient in LA and fecal fistula was present in one patient in OA. Overall complications were significantly lower in laparoscopy group and managed conservatively with no mortality in either group.CONCLUSIONS:LA in complicated appendicitis is feasible and safe with lower incidence of complications than OA and should be the initial choice for all patients with complicated appendicitis.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is one of the first laparoscopic procedures performed by surgical trainees. This study aims to determine preoperative and/or intraoperative predictors of difficult LC and to compare complications of LC performed by trainees with that performed by trained surgeons. A cohort of 180 consecutive patients with cholelithiasis who underwent LC was analyzed. We used univariate and binary logistic regression analyses to predict factors associated with difficult LC. We compared the rate of complications of LCs performed by trainees and that performed by trained surgeons using Pearson's chi-square test. Patients with impacted stone in the neck of the gallbladder (GB) (OR, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.59–15.77), with adhesions in the Triangle of Calot (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.27–6.83), or with GB rupture (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.02–11.41) were more likely to experience difficult LC. There was no difference between trainees and trained surgeons in the rate of cystic artery injury (p = .144) or GB rupture (p = .097). However, operative time of LCs performed by trained surgeons was significantly shorter (median, 45 min; IQR, 30–70 min) compared with the surgical trainees' operative time (60 min; IQR, 50–90 min). Surgical trainees can perform difficult LC safely under supervision with no increase in complications albeit with mild increase in operative time.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and functional outcome of external coloanal anastomosis without covering stoma in treating low-lying rectal cancer. All patients undergoing the coloanal anastomosis for low lying rectal carcer in the