ArticleLangenbeck's archives of surgery2011
Prevention of infectious complications after laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated acute appendicitis--the role of routine abdominal drainage.
Article in Langenbeck's archives of surgery, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 88 citations in OpenAlex.
- Abdominal drainage to prevent intraperitoneal abscess after appendectomy for complicated appendicitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Swedish national guidelines for diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis in adults and children.BJS open · 2025Guideline
- Advantages comparison of peritoneal drainage versus no drainage after laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated appendicitis: a meta-analysis.BMC gastroenterology · 2024Pooled it
- Abdominal drainage to prevent intra-peritoneal abscess after appendectomy for complicated appendicitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- The SIFIPAC/WSES/SICG/SIMEU guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis in the elderly (2019 edition).World journal of emergency surgery : WJES · 2020Guideline
- Abdominal drainage to prevent intra-peritoneal abscess after open appendectomy for complicated appendicitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis. EAES consensus development conference 2015.Surgical endoscopy · 2016Guideline
- Laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated appendicitis in children: does the post-operative peritoneal drain make any difference? A pilot prospective randomised controlled trial.Pediatric surgery international · 2022Trial
- Laparoscopic versus open surgery for complicated appendicitis in adults: a randomized controlled trial.Surgical endoscopy · 2016Trial
- The role of abdominal drainage to prevent of intra-abdominal complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: prospective randomized trial.Surgical endoscopy · 2015Trial
- Prophylactic abdominal drainage versus no drainage after laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated acute appendicitis: a multicenter propensity score-weighted analysis.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Review
- Article
- Value of Early Kinetics of Procalcitonin with Point-of-Care Test to Predict Postoperative Abscess Following Non-Complicated Acute Appendicitis: A Pilot Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- The utility of intraperitoneal drain placement after laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis in postoperative intraperitoneal abscess prevention.Surgical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Controversies and Future Directions in Management of Acute Appendicitis: An Updated Comprehensive Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Nomogram prediction model for length of hospital stay following laparoscopic appendectomy in pediatric patients: a retrospective study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Article
- Review
- The necessity of abdominal drainage for patients with complicated appendicitis undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy: a retrospective cohort study.World journal of emergency surgery : WJES · 2022Article
- A simple intervention to improve the use of postoperative antibiotics and intra-abdominal drains in appendicectomy patients.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeComplicated acute appendicitis is still associated with an increased morbidity. If laparoscopy has been accepted as a valid approach, some questions remain concerning intra-abdominal abscess formation. Routine prophylactic drainage of the abdomen has been proposed. However, this practice remains a matter of debate, poorly validated in the literature. With the present study, we investigated the impact of drainage in laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated appendicitis.
methodThis is a case match study of consecutive patients operated on by laparoscopy in a single institution. One hundred and thirty patients operated for complicated appendicitis (local peritonitis without perforation, with perforation, or with periappendicular abscess) with prophylactic intraperitoneal drainage were matched one by one to 130 patients operated without drainage. Uncomplicated appendicitis and generalized peritonitis were excluded. Primary endpoint was surgical complications and secondary endpoints were transit recovery time and length of hospital stay.
resultsPatients without drain had significantly less overall complications (7.7% vs. 18.5%, p = 0.01). Moreover, the absence of drainage was of significant benefit for transit recovery time (2.5 vs. 3.5 days, p = 0.0068) and length of hospital stay (4.2 vs. 7.3 days, p < 0.0001).
conclusionNo benefits were observed for prophylactic drainage of the abdominal cavity during emergency laparoscopic treatment of complicated appendicitis. For this reason, this practice may be abandoned.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.