Purpose: Recent studies have shown that the procedure of laparoscopic appendectomy requires a learning curve before mastering. The aim of this study was to investigate the question of whether a surgeon who has been working as a first assistant for training in laparoscopic colorectal surgery can perform laparoscopic appendectomy without previous experience as an operator in laparoscopic appendectomy. Methods: Ninety consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy by a single surgeon were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The operating surgeon completed fellowship training of the colorectal cancer division as a first assistant for two years. The patients were divided into two groups by consecutive order: Group (A) included the initial 45 patients and Group (B) included the next 45 patients. The clinical patient demographics, histological diagnosis, and out-come variables including operation time, conversion to open surgery, complications, and length of hospital stay were com-pared between the two groups. Results: No difference in operation time was observed between the groups (mean: 58.22 min vs 66.6 min, p=0.097). Open conversion rate and drain insertion rate were similar between the two groups. There was no difference in length of hospital stay. Overall complication rate did not differ be-tween the two groups. Moving average curve showed no specific time shortening point within these 90 enrolled patients. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that laparoscopic appendectomies performed by a surgeon who had achieved a training course as an assistant in laparoscopic colorectal surgery were performed safely without any difficulties during the learning period. This finding needs further validation in additional large-scale studies.

Keywords Laparoscopy, Appendectomy, Learning curve, Fellowships, Training

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