Meta-analysis of the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic appendectomy in the treatment of acute appendicitis

BACKGROUND: This paper compares the postoperative recovery of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) after laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) and open appendectomy (OA), aiming to determine the optimal diagnosis and treatment plan for appendectomy. METHODS: Related literature was retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang databases. Articles on LA and OA for AA published between 2010 and 2021 were selected to extract data. Besides, Stata16.0 was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 777 articles were retrieved, and 16 of them were finally selected. Totally, 1251 patients underwent LA, while 898 patients received OA. According to the results of meta-analysis, LA was associated with lower incidence of adverse reactions [OR = 0.257, 95% CI (0.162, 0.408), P < 0.001], shorter operation time (SMD = − 1.802, 95% CI − 2.435, − 1.169; P < 0.001) and hospitalization (SMD = − 1.184, 95% CI − 1.512, − 0.856; P < 0.001). In addition, compared with the OA group, LA was found with less intraoperative blood loss (SMD = − 3.650, 95% CI − 5.088, − 2.212; P < 0.001) and shorter recovery time of gastrointestinal function (SMD = − 3.010, 95% CI − 3.816, − 2.203; P < 0.001). Aside from all these, the counts of leukocyte (SMD = − 0.432, 95% CI: − 0.775, − 0.089; P = 0.013), neutrophil (SMD = − 1.346, 95% CI − 2.560, − 0.133; P = 0.030), and C-reactive protein (SMD = − 2.391, 95% CI − 3.901, − 0.882; P = 0.002) all decreased in a significant manner after LA. CONCLUSION: Compared with OA, LA boasts the advantages of less adverse reactions, shorter operation time and hospitalization, fewer complications, and lower inflammatory response, evidencing its safety and feasibility of applying in the treatment of AA.