Comparison of Complications in Open Surgery versus Laparoscopic Surgical Management of Varicocele among Adolescents at a Tertiary Care Hospital

.. Objectives: To compare frequency of complications in open surgery versus laparoscopic surgical management of varicocele among adolescents at a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) study. Setting: Unit-I Department of General Surgery, Nishtar Medical College and Hospital, Multan. Period: January 2014 to February 2015. Material and methods: Group A was managed by open surgery while group B patients had undergone laparoscopic management. All data were analyzed by SPSS – 20. Results: A total of 100 patients with varicocele were taken. Mean age of our study cases was 26.59 ± 5.54 years. Mean duration of surgery was 33.16 ± 5.97 minutes. Mean hospital stay in our study was 45.60 ± 12.53 minutes. Mean duration of disease was 5.31 ± 1.41 months. Of these 100 study cases, 19 (19%) were obese. Post-operative complications were noted in 32 (32%) of our study cases. Recurrence was noted in 19(19%) of our study cases, hydrocele formation in 10 (10%) and wound infection was noted in only 03 (3%) of our study cases. Conclusion: Our study results conclude that laparoscopic management of varicocele is safe, efficient, cost effective and reliable procedure. Complications are significantly less than that of open surgery. Laparoscopic management is associated with significantly less duration of surgery and shorter hospital stays than that of open surgery. By using laparoscopic technique we can decrease morbidities among targeted population which will provide relief to the suffering families as well as be helpful for hospital authorities in terms of short hospital stays leading to less investments.