International journal of surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Irrigation versus suction alone during laparoscopic appendectomy; A randomized controlled equivalence trial.
The objective of this study was to compare operative peritoneal irrigation versus suction alone during laparoscopic appendectomy in adult patients; our hypothesis was that the two methods are equivalent in terms of rate of post-operative intra-abdominal abscess. There has been only one prospective, randomized, superiority trial in children, that showed non-significant difference in the rate of intra-abdominal abscess comparing irrigation to suction alone during laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis. Non-significant difference in a superiority trial does not imply equivalence. ⋯ In patients with suppurative or perforated appendicitis, the rate of intra-abdominal abscess is equivalent between groups treated with peritoneal irrigation and suction alone.