[Laparoscopic appendectomy--considerations in about 1000 cases].

Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is a well spread method today, but not as largely accepted as cholecystectomy, the cure of gastro-esophageal reflux and some other procedures (relatively small in number) for which the laparoscopic approach is the golden standard. Otherwise it is improbable that LA will gain such a status, at least in the near future. On the other hand it is obvious that LA offers important advantages for some special situations: the right iliac area syndrome, obesity, professional sportsmen, abnormal localization of the appendix, as well for the cases when localized and especially diffuse peritonitis is associated. Our paper analyses the experience of General Surgery Department at the "St.John" Emergency Hospital Bucharest on laparoscopic appendectomy. The retrospective study includes 996 cases that were treated laparoscopic between 1996-2004. Of these 745 cases were catarrhal, 166 cases were phlegmonous and 76 gangrenous appendicitis. In 93 cases localized or diffuse peritonitis was associated. There were recorded also 3 cases of each of the following: chronic appendicitis, appendicular mass and mucocele. The number of conversions was 28 (2.81%). There were also 10 reinterventions (1.004%), 7 because of intraperitoneal abscess and we also recorded one death.