Hypothesis
The results of a meta-analysis of individual studies comparing laparoscopic vs open appendectomy in older patients may guide the choice of surgical approach.
Design
Meta-analysis.
Setting
Academic research.
Patients
MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for comparative studies of older patients with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
Main Outcome Measures
Primary outcomes were postoperative mortality and overall morbidity. Secondary outcomes were operative time, length of hospital stay, postoperative wound infection, and intra-abdominal collection. Using the lowest threshold from the articles included, older patients were defined as those older than 60 years.
Results
Analyzed were 6 studies comprising 15 852 appendectomies (4398 laparoscopic and 11 454 open procedures). Laparoscopic appendectomy was associated with significant reductions in postoperative mortality (pooled odds ratio, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.37), postoperative complications (pooled odds ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50-0.73), and length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference, −0.51 days; 95% CI, −0.64 to −0.37 days) (P < .05 for all). No significant group differences were observed in operative time, postoperative wound infection, or intra-abdominal collection.
Conclusions
In older patients, laparoscopic appendectomy is associated with reduced postoperative mortality and morbidity, although randomized data are required to infer causality. A health economic analysis with quality-of-life metrics is needed to investigate potential benefits of the reduced length of hospital stay observed following laparoscopic appendectomy in this cohort.