Background: This study aimed to compare the safety, efficacy and clinical benefits of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) to open splenectomy (OS) in patients with hematologic disorders.
Experimental design: prospective study;
Setting: II Department of Surgery, Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, Reggio Emilia and III Department of Surgery, Santo Spirito Hospital Pescara;
Patients: 48 consecutive adult patients underwent splenectomy; 30 patients under-went LS and 18 OS. Perioperative characteristics, outcomes, complications and costs were comparatively analyzed.
Results: Mean age was 35.3 years in the LS group, and 40.8 in the OS group. Mean spleen size was 11.7 cm in the LS group and 15.2 cm in the OS group. Accessory spleens were found in 5 patients in the LS group and in 4 patients in the OS group; 4 conversions to laparotomy occurred in the LS group. A total of 4 complications occurred in 3 patients of the LS; 9 complications occurred in 5 patients of OS group. Mean surgical time was 141.5 minutes for LS and 89.7 minutes for OS (p<0.005). Mean postsurgical stay was 5.8 days in the LS group and 8.5 days in the OS group (p<0.005). Response rates were similar in both groups.
Conclusions: LS is comparable to OS in terms of efficacy and safety and it is associated with a shorter hospital stay. LS should become the technique of choice for treatment of intractable benign hematologic disease.