The intravenous catheter at McBurney's point.

The manipulation of the inflamed appendix during laparoscopic surgery and avoiding its disintegration or leakage can be challenging even to experts. A suture loop form through an intravenous catheter may offer the least traumatic handling of the appendix, and it serves the extra benefit of leaving no scar. Furthermore, multiple loops can be formed conveniently and economically by a single long suture material. It can also ensure snaring at the very base of the appendix. We attempted this technique in 15 patients with 14 successful operations; there was great patient satisfaction and there were no surgical complications. Difficulty was encountered only when the surgeon tried to loop the buried appendix tip that cannot be delivered by one-hand manipulation.