Comparison of Small Access and Classic McBurney’s Incisions for Open Appendectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

[Background]Many surgeons have been encouraged to use a variety of incisions for abdominal visceral surgery that are hidden from exposure. The current researchers conducted this study to find the safety and feasibility of open appendectomy using Small Access (SA) incision and compare this method with the classic McBurney’s appendectomy (CA).[Methods]Sixty-nine patients with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis at Besat hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, during year 2016, were enrolled in the study and were randomly allocated to 2 groups, including SA (n = 39) and CA groups (n = 30). All patients were visited 1 week and 6 months after the surgery.[Results]The demographic data of the patients, including gender and age, was not significantly different between the 2 groups (P values = 0.12 and 0.87, respectively). In 6 patients in the SA group, the incision was transversely extended during the operation. There was no significant difference between postoperative complications in the 2 groups. The amount of pain medication administered during the hospital stay in the SA group was significantly lower than the CA group (110 ± 29.2 mg vs. 134 ± 29.7 mg, P = 0.002). The median satisfaction score of patients with their appendectomy scars was 5 out of 5 in the SA group, being significantly higher than the CA group with median satisfaction score of 3 out of 5 (P < 0.0001).[Conclusions]Open appendectomy using small access incision may be a safe, feasible, and cosmetically pleasing method in adults and pediatric patients.