Forty-one serially performed laparoscopic appendectomies were compared to 41 randomly selected traditional open appendectomies performed during the same 18 month period. The average age and sex distribution of the two groups were similar. The pathological diagnoses of acute appendicitis and perforation were similar in both groups. The complication rates were not statistically different in the two groups. There were no complications unique to the laparoscopic group. The hospital stay was considerably shorter for patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy (p < .05). Statistical significance was found both in patients with and without perforation.