Comparative Study of Laparoscopic Versus Open Appendectomy in Children

The study intends to compare the results of two surgical methods to remove the appendix in children with appendicitis. Specifically, up to 500 children over 3 years will be placed in two groups where the only difference in treatment is open or laparoscopic (scope) operation. Each group will be tracked for their baseline characteristics, events during operation and recovery, pain medication requirements, duration of hospital stay, and patient/family satisfaction. The investigators hypothesize that their will be no difference in the parameters measured between the techniques of appendix removal.