Patients undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy for suspected appendicitis experience low rates of subsequent surgery and complications, reinforcing that routine removal of a macroscopically normal appendix is not justified.

• 3.5% of patients who underwent diagnostic laparoscopy required a repeat procedure, with a 0.96% risk of actual appendicitis after follow-up averaging 5.2 years.
• Surgical complications were significantly higher in the laparoscopic appendectomy group (3.7% vs. 1.6% after diagnostic laparoscopy, p=0.02).

Surgeons should reconsider the necessity of routine appendectomy during diagnostic laparoscopy, as the risks of further surgery and complications remain low.