Outcomes of laparoscopic versus open splenectomy

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic techniques have gained wide clinical acceptance in surgical practice today. The laparoscopic approach has been established as the technique of choice for elective splenectomies performed on normal sized spleens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients undergoing laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) at the TOBB University of Economics and Technology (ETU) Hospital and Kecioren Training and Research Hospital. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-five patients underwent splenectomy between January 2000 and July 2010. For comparison, the records of 130 patients undergoing splenectomy were evaluated for age, gender, hospital stay, time to start of diet, conversion rate, operation time and wound infection. RESULTS: Mean operation time means the time interval between surgeon commencing operation to end of operation. Mean operation time in patients treated by LS was 132 minutes and 121 minutes in open splenectomy (OS). Mean hospital stay was 5.65 days in patients undergoing LS and starting of diet was 1.21 days. In patients treated by OS, mean hospital stay was 9.17 days, starting of diet was 2.37 days. Four patients were converted to open surgery. Conversion rate was 6.4 percent. In the early post operative period (within 10 days of surgery) 9.2%, LS group had lower incidences of wound infection rate after surgery than OS group (4.8%, 7.4%, respectively; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: LS is a safe and effective alternative to OS for treatment of splenic diseases in patients of all ages.