ABSTRACT
Between June 1998 and June 2002, 23 patients with a clinical diagnosis of perforated peptic ulcer were randomly allocated to open repair [group 1] or laparoscopic repair [group 2], in El Minia University Hospitals. Open repair was performed in 14 patients [9 men and 5 women, with a mean age of 45.2 +/- 14.1 years]. Laparoscopic repair was performed in 9 patients [6 men and 3 women, with a mean age of 46.1 +/- 15.1 years]. The risk factors were similar in both groups. Laparoscopic repair had a significantly longer operative time than open repair [group 2, 115.6 +/- 45.3 versus 58.6 +/- 43.2 minutes in group 1, but the amount of analgesic required after laparoscopic repair was significantly less than in open surgery [median 3 doses versus 6 doses. There was no significant difference in the two groups of patients in terms of duration of nasogastric aspiration, hospital stay, time to return to normal activities, morbidity and mortality rates