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PubMed1996

Appendicitis: usefulness of color Doppler US.

PURPOSE: To assess whether color Doppler ultrasonography (US) can help diagnose early acute appendicitis in appendices of equivocal size at gray-scale US. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, color Doppler US findings were evaluated in 20 individuals with proved normal appendix at barium enema examination and in 50 patients in whom pathologic findings confirmed acute appendicitis. In a prospective study, the diagnostic value of hyperemia in the wall of the appendix in differentiating a normal from an inflamed appendix was evaluated in 26 patients with appendices of equivocal size (5-7 mm in maximal outer diameter) at grayscale US. RESULTS: In the retrospective study, 44 of the 50 patients had hyperemia at color Doppler US. The remaining six patients had no hyperemia, and pathologic findings confirmed gangrenous appendices. The 20 patients with proved normal appendix at barium enema examination had no detectable blood flow in the wall. In the prospective study, 10 of 26 patients had hyperemia at color Doppler US, and pathologic findings confirmed early acute appendicitis. Results of barium enema examination (n = 12) or clinical follow-up (n = 4) confirmed no appendicitis in the remaining 16 patients. CONCLUSION: Hyperemia in the wall of the appendix at color Doppler US is a sensitive indicator for inflammation. A simple additional color Doppler US examination may be helpful in the diagnosis of early acute appendicitis when an appendix is well depicted and is equivocal in size at gray-scale US.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Helical CT technique for the diagnosis of appendicitis: prospective evaluation of a focused appendix CT examination.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a focused, helical computed tomographic (CT) technique for imaging the appendix in patients suspected of having appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred patients prospectively underwent appendix CT examination, with use of oral and colon contrast media and contiguous, thin-collimation, helical CT imaging of the right lower quadrant. Results were correlated with the results of surgery and pathologic examination from 61 patients or from clinical follow-up in 39 patients. RESULTS: CT scans were positive for appendicitis in 59 patients: true-positive in 56 patients on the basis of surgery and pathologic examination, and false-positive in two patients on the basis of clinical follow-up; in the case of the other positive scan, the clinical outcome was indeterminate. CT scans were negative for appendicitis in 41 patients: true-negative in five patients on the basis of surgery and pathologic examination, and true-negative in 36 patients on the basis of clinical follow-up. CT had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 95%, a positive predictive value of 97%, a negative predictive value of 100%, and an accuracy of 98%. The normal appendix was always identified. CT helped establish alternative diagnoses in 33 of the 41 patients (80%) in whom the results of CT were negative for appendicitis. CONCLUSION: Appendix CT examination can help diagnose or exclude appendicitis and establish an alternative diagnosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Acute urinary retention in the elderly: an unusual presentation of appendicitis with a high perforation risk.

BACKGROUND: Urological manifestations are rare in acute appendicitis. Although acute urinary retention (AUR) is more commonly found in elderly patients, any previous cases reported have been under the age of 30. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, clinical presentation, and results of adult appendicitis patients presenting with AUR. AUR is defined as the sudden inability to urinate with obstructive symptoms. METHODS: A retrospective case note review of 480 adult patients (>/=18 years) with appendicitis, diagnosed at the Veterans General Hospital-Taipei over a 3-year period, was carried out. RESULTS: Six patients (1.3% of the adults or 3.9% of the elderly patients), 5 men and 1 woman averaging 71.5 years of age, presented with AUR. Associated existing diseases were benign prostatic hyperplasia in 2 of the males and surgical repair for uterine prolapse in the only female. The mean duration from initial gastrointestinal symptoms to AUR was 1.7 days. The quantity of residual urine ranged from 180 to 450 ml. All patients had persistent right lower quadrant tenderness and hematuria. Five (83.3%) were found to have a perforated appendix at operation, and their average hospital stay was 14.7 (8-29) days. CONCLUSIONS: AUR may occur as an initial presentation in acute complicated appendicitis in the elderly. It has been reported that the prolonged hospital stay might be related to the delayed diagnosis and resulting complications arising in these patients. Primary care physicians need to be reminded that this common genitourinary complaint may arise in patients with acute appendicitis. When confronted with a geriatric patient presenting with AUR, one should entertain an alternative diagnosis and a reexamination of the patient is mandatory.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Role of imaging in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children.

The aim of the study was to investigate the place of imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis. The files of 2,427 children with suspected acute appendicitis were reviewed for clinical management and operative findings. The sample was divided into 3 groups at time of admission: (1) before diagnostic imaging was available in our department (1991-1994); (2) after the introduction of imaging studies on a random basis in equivocal cases (1995-1998); and (3) after a policy was formulated for ultrasound use in all equivocal cases followed by computed tomography if necessary (1999-2000). Results showed that the rate of misdiagnosis decreased from 13.2% in group 1 to 6.5% in group 2 and 6.1% in group 3. False-positive findings (normal appendix with positive scan) were noted in 16.7% of group 2 and 25% of group 3; false-negative findings (appendicitis at surgery with negative scan) in 23.8% and 9.5%, respectively. Computed tomography was performed in 8 children and prevented unnecessary surgery in 4 of them. We conclude that in equivocal cases of acute appendicitis, imaging studies performed by skilled operators can improve the accuracy of diagnosis, saving patients unnecessary surgery, and identifying other conditions that mimic appendicitis.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed2005

Acute appendicitis: the reliability of diagnosis by clinical assessment alone.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This prospective study aimed to review the trustworthiness of the initial clinical assessment in acute appendicitis without employment of imaging modalities, laparoscopy or any other adjunct diagnostic test. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 717 patients were operated on for appendicitis by six different surgeons. Initial clinical and laboratory examination were evaluated in relation to the intraoperative and the pathological appreciation of the appendiceal inflammation. RESULTS: 598 patients were found to have appendicitis, 34 a different condition, 41 had both appendicitis and an additional condition and 44 no pathology. 6% of the laparotomies and 11% of the appendectomies were unnecessary. The severity of the inflammation correlated significantly with periumbilical pain, pain migrating to right lower quadrant, loss of appetite, fever, rebound tenderness, local rigidity, polymorphonuclear predominance on deferential, polymorhonucleosis and leukocytosis. Leukocytosis was less frequent in aged patients. All the six surgeons were found to be equally reliable, although they all underestimated the setting compared to the pathologists. Patients with a long duration of symptoms had milder forms of inflammation and increased percentage of unanticipated abdominal conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Appendicitis can be reliably diagnosed clinically without employment of adjunct tests. These can be reserved for equivocal cases.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Management of complicated appendicitis and comparison of outcome with other primary sites of intra-abdominal infection: results of a trial comparing ertapenem and piperacillin-tazobactam.

A post-hoc analysis of data from a trial of complicated intra-abdominal infection was performed to compare the demographic and disease characteristics of patients with complicated appendicitis to those whose primary infection involved other intra-abdominal sites, assess the impact of site of primary infection on outcome, and compare the efficacy and safety of ertapenem 1 g daily with piperacillin-tazobactam 3.375 g every 6 h for treatment of complicated appendicitis. Compared with patients who had primary infection of the colon or another site in the abdomen, patients with complicated appendicitis were younger, had less severe disease (based on lower APACHE II score and lower proportion with generalized peritonitis), and were less likely to be managed by percutaneous drainage of an abscess or to have a postoperative infection. Patients with complicated appendicitis were more likely to have a favorable outcome than were patients with infection of the colon (OR, 3.02; 95% CI, [1.54-5.901; P = .001). At the test-of-cure assessment, 109/123 (88.6%) microbiologically evaluable patients with complicated appendicitis who received ertapenem and 102/113 (90.3%) who received piperacillin-tazobactam had a favorable combined clinical and microbiologic outcome. The frequency and severity of drug-related adverse events were similar in the two treatment groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Enterobius vermicularis causing symptoms of appendicitis in Nepal.

This study set out to determine the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis in surgically removed appendices and to assess the possible relation of the parasite to acute appendicitis. All 624 surgically removed appendices received in the Department of Pathology, BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal during 2(1/2) years (August 1999-January 2002) were examined. E. vermicularis was identified in nine (1.62%) appendices from the patients with a clinical diagnosis of appendicitis. The parasite was most frequently seen in histologically normal appendices (6/71) and was rarely associated with histological change of acute appendicitis (3/539). No cases of E. vermicularis infestation occurred in appendices showing chronic inflammation or removed during the course of other surgical procedures. E. vermicularis was found more frequently in uninflamed and histologically normal appendices (8.45%) than those which were inflamed with histopathologic changes of acute appendicitis (0.56%). It may be a cause of symptoms resembling acute appendicitis although the mechanism for this does not involve mucosal invasion by the parasite.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Ultrasonography in patients with suspected acute appendicitis: a prospective study.

The diagnostic accuracy of high-resolution real-time ultrasonography was prospectively studied in 240 patients admitted to the hospital with suspected acute appendicitis. The criteria for ultrasound diagnosis of appendicitis included a sausage-shaped, aperistaltic, hypoechoic structure when imaged along its longitudinal axis, with a target-like appearance on transverse section. The ultrasonographic findings were correlated with surgical-pathological outcome in 82 cases with proven appendicitis, with laparotomy findings in another 21 patients and with clinical follow-up in the remainder. The overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis were 78%, 92% and 87%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 84% and the negative predictive value was 88%. Ultrasonography may significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy in patients with suspected acute appendicitis and should be performed in all patients in whom the clinical diagnosis is equivocal. The ultrasonographic findings must be interpreted in light of the clinical findings.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Pitfalls in the CT diagnosis of appendicitis.

CT evaluation of appendicitis represents an increasingly common emergency room request. While the overall accuracy of CT is high, numerous pitfalls exist which may deceive radiologists, resulting in a missed diagnosis of appendicitis. The inflamed appendix may be unusual in its location, or may appear normal if only a small portion of the distal appendix is involved (tip appendicitis). In a patient with a history of appendectomy, inflammation of the appendiceal stump may be easily missed. Appendicitis may closely mimic small bowel obstruction, or gynaecological disease, especially after perforation has occurred. Even a misleading clinical history may lead the radiologist's eye astray. This pictorial review demonstrates these and other potential radiological pitfalls, and includes important points for the accurate diagnosis of appendicitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

A clinical decision rule to identify children at low risk for appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: Computed tomography (CT) has gained widespread acceptance in the evaluation of children with suspected appendicitis. Concern has been raised regarding the long-term effects of ionizing radiation. Other means of diagnosing appendicitis, such as clinical scores, are lacking in children. We sought to develop a clinical decision rule to predict which children with acute abdominal pain do not have appendicitis. METHODS: Prospective cohort study was conducted of children and adolescents who aged 3 to 18 years, had signs and symptoms suspicious for appendicitis, and presented to the emergency department between April 2003 and July 2004. Standardized data-collection forms were completed on eligible patients. Two low-risk clinical decision rules were created and validated using logistic regression and recursive partitioning. The sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), and negative likelihood ratio of each clinical rule were compared. RESULTS: A total of 601 patients were enrolled. Using logistic regression, we created a 6-part score that consisted of nausea (2 points), history of focal right lower quadrant pain (2 points), migration of pain (1 point), difficulty walking (1 point), rebound tenderness/pain with percussion (2 points), and absolute neutrophil count of >6.75 x 10(3)/microL (6 points). A score < or =5 had a sensitivity of 96.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87.5-99.0), NPV of 95.6% (95% CI: 90.8-99.0), and negative likelihood ratio of .102 (95% CI: 0.026-0.405) in the validation set. Using recursive partitioning, a second low-risk decision rule was developed consisting of absolute neutrophil count of <6.75 x 10(3)/microL, absence of nausea, and absence of maximal tenderness in the right lower quadrant. This rule had a sensitivity of 98.1% (95% CI: 90.1-99.9), NPV of 97.5% (95% CI: 86.8-99.9), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.058 (95% CI: 0.008-0.411) in the validation set. Theoretical application of the low-risk rules would have resulted in a 20% reduction in CT. CONCLUSIONS: Our low-risk decision rules can predict accurately which children are at low risk for appendicitis and could be treated safely with careful observation rather than CT examination.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2003

[Leukocyte count, C reactive protein, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in acute appendicitis].

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of acute appendicitis is clinic, but in some cases, it can present unusual symptoms. The diagnostic difficulties still lead surgeons to unnecessary laparotomies, which reach rates from 15% to 40%. Laboratory exams, then, may become important to complement appendicitis diagnosis. The leucocyte count seems to be the most important value, but measurement of acute phase proteins, specially, the C-reactive protein, is object of several studies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study, involving 63 patients submitted to appendecectomies for acute appendicitis suspicion, in "Hospital das Clínicas", Federal University of Uberlândia, MG, Brazil, in whose blood were made dosages of acute phase proteins and the leucocyte count. RESULTS: The sample was composed by 44 male and 19 female patients, and the majority of them was between 11 and 30 years of age. The flegmonous type was the most freq ent (52.4%). The leucocyte count was altered in 74.6% of the cases and C-reactive protein elevation was observed in 88.9%. The alfa-1 acid glycoprotein and the erithrocyte sedimmentation rate were predominantly normal. The C-reactive protein was augmented in more than 80% of the cases in all ages. Leucocyte count and C-reactive protein were altered in 80% of the patients with the limit of 24 hours from the beginning of symptoms. With clinical evolution time superior than 24 hours, the leucocyte count was altered in 69.7% of the cases, whereas C-reactive protein was in 97%. Sensibility and specificity of the leucocyte count were 88.7% and 20%. For the C-reactive protein, the values were, respectively, 88.9% and 10%. C-reactive protein dosage presented more sensible in cases with more than 24 hours of evolution (96.9%), although with no specificity. The alfa-1 acid glycoprotein and erithrocyte sedimmentation rate presented low sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: The leucocyte count and the C-reactive protein present significantly altered in acute appendicitis cases, independent from genre or age interval. The leucocyte count and, mainly, the C-reactive protein must be considered in individuals with more than 24 hours of clinical evolution. Augmented values, as a matter of fact, should never substitute the doctor's clinical examination, but complement it. The erithrocyte sedimmentation rate and the alfa-1 acid glycoprotein do not contribute to acute appendicitis diagnosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of colonic transit between polyethylene glycol and water as oral contrast vehicles in the CT evaluation of acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy of a new positive oral contrast agent's ability to reach the colon during CT evaluation of acute appendicitis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty adult emergency department patients who underwent abdominal CT to evaluate for appendicitis were studied. Forty patients received the department's standard dose of 1,600 mL of a water-iodinated contrast mixture (ratio of 2 mL of iodinated contrast material to 100 mL of water) with a standard delay time of 2-2.5 hours from the beginning of contrast medium ingestion. Forty patients were given a new oral contrast mixture of 1,000 mL of polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixed with 30 mL of iodinated contrast agent, and the examination was conducted only 1 hour from inception of contrast administration. Examinations were reviewed for the presence of contrast medium in the cecum and the presence of appendicitis or other abdominal abnormality. RESULTS: Thirty-eight of 40 patients in the PEG group had contrast medium in the colon at 1 hour after contrast administration, 20 of whom had surgically confirmed cases of appendicitis. In five other patients in that group, another cause to explain the patient's complaints was identified on imaging. Only 18 of the 40 patients who received the standard oral preparation had contrast material present in the cecum. Eleven patients in that group had confirmed appendicitis, and four others had another abnormal finding detected at CT. There was a significant difference in the success of contrast medium transit to the colon with these two agents (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The use of an oral contrast agent composed of PEG and iodinated contrast material provided a marked improvement in oral agent transit to the colon even in patients with intraabdominal inflammation.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

CT diagnosis of acute appendicitis: imaging findings.

Acute appendicitis, at times, is a difficult clinical diagnosis. CT can play a valuable role in selected patients with suspected appendicitis; the CT diagnosis of acute appendicitis has high positive and negative predictive values, 96% and 95%, respectively [1]. In this essay, we review the normal CT anatomy of the appendix and the right lower quadrant and illustrate the CT signs of appendicitis and important differential diagnostic entities. The CT appearance of complications of acute appendicitis is also presented, as are issues concerning examination technique and patient preparation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Unenhanced helical CT for suspected acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of unenhanced helical CT scans in patients with a suspected acute appendicitis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Over a 20-month period, 109 adult patients with suspected acute appendicitis were referred by the emergency department for an unenhanced helical CT scan. Each scan was obtained in a single breath-hold from the T12 vertebral body to the public symphysis using a 5-mm collimation and a pitch of 1.6. No patients were given oral or IV contrast media. The primary CT criteria for diagnosing acute appendicitis was the identification of an appendix with a transverse diameter larger than 6 mm with associated periappendiceal inflammatory changes. The presence of an appendicolith was considered a secondary finding as was isolated periappendiceal inflammation; however, appendicitis was not diagnosed in such patients unless an enlarged appendix was definitely identified. Final diagnoses were established by surgical or clinical follow-up and were compared with the original CT reports. RESULTS: We found 66 true-negatives, 37 true-positives, four false-negatives, and two false-positives that yielded a sensitivity of 90%, a specificity of 97%, a positive predictive value of 95%, a negative predictive value of 95%, and an accuracy of 94%. An alternative diagnosis was established by an unenhanced helical CT scan in 24 patients (22%), which included cecal diverticulitis (seven patients), urinary tract disease (five patients), adnexal pathology (four patients), sigmoid diverticulitis (two patients), small bowel disease (three patients), right lower quadrant tumor (two patients), and an infected dialysis catheter (one patient). CONCLUSION: Unenhanced thin-section helical CT is an accurate, effective technique for diagnosing acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

Imaging evaluation of suspected appendicitis in a pediatric population: effectiveness of sonography versus CT.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of graded compression sonography with that of helical CT for the diagnosis of appendicitis in a pediatric and young adult population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between June 1996 and April 1999, 386 pediatric and young adult patients with suspected appendicitis were examined using sonography, CT, or both: 233 underwent sonography only, 71 underwent CT only, and 82 underwent sonography and CT. All sonograms and CT scans were prospectively interpreted as showing positive or negative findings for appendicitis by one of six pediatric radiologists. CT and sonographic findings were correlated with surgical and histopathologic findings or findings at clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Helical CT had a significantly higher sensitivity (95% versus 78%, p = 0.009) and accuracy (94% versus 89%, p = 0.05) than graded compression sonography for the diagnosis of appendicitis in children, adolescents, and young adults. The specificity of both techniques was 93%. Twenty of 82 patients who underwent both sonography and CT had discordance between the findings of the two examinations. The CT results were correct in a significantly greater number of patients with discordant examinations (17/20 patients [85%]). CONCLUSION: Helical CT has a significantly higher sensitivity and accuracy than graded compression sonography for the diagnosis of appendicitis in a pediatric and young adult population, particularly in children more than 10 years old.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of suspected appendicitis in children using limited helical CT and colonic contrast material.

OBJECTIVE: Colonic contrast material evaluation of suspected appendicitis in pediatric patients is technically more challenging than in adults because less intraabdominal fat is present. To determine the accuracy and feasibility of focused CT for pediatric patients, we carried out this retrospective investigation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between November 1995 and July 1999, 199 pediatric patients (1-18 years old; mean age, 12 years) were examined with focused CT in the emergency division for suspected appendicitis. The findings on CT were compared with the findings at surgery, pathology, and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: There were 64 true-positive CT scans, two false-negative, 128 true-negative, one false-positive, and four indeterminate. Seventy-four patients underwent appendectomy, with a negative appendectomy rate of 9%. One hundred twenty-five patients without appendicitis were treated nonoperatively. The true-positive rate was 32%, true-negative rate was 64%, sensitivity was 97%, specificity was 99%, positive predictive value was 98%, negative predictive value was 98%, and overall accuracy was 96%. Pediatric patients tolerated the procedure well. Colonic contrast material saved time and provided improved identification of the cecum and appendix. In 62 patients without appendicitis, focused CT provided alternative diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Focused CT appears to be nearly as accurate in pediatric patients as in adults. Focused CT provided alternative diagnoses in 48% of the patients for whom CT findings were negative for appendicitis.

Administration, Rectal↗
PubMed2002

Chronic inflammatory appendiceal conditions that mimic acute appendicitis on helical CT.

OBJECTIVE: Acute appendicitis is commonly diagnosed on CT, but chronic appendiceal processes can mimic acute appendicitis. The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency of these alternative conditions and their findings on helical CT. CONCLUSION: Chronic inflammatory conditions other than acute appendicitis were found in 9% of patients who underwent surgery after CT findings were interpreted as suspicious for appendicitis. These inflammatory conditions were indistinguishable from acute appendicitis when we used either primary or secondary CT signs.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Acute appendicitis in the first three years of life].

Acute appendicitis is the most frequent disease in children population that requires an urgent surgical intervention. Only 2% of operated children belong to the group younger than 3 years. Yet, 77% are school children. Appendicitis in young children is characterized by: atypical clinical course, late diagnosis, high percentage of perforations, and high level of mortality and morbidity rates. The commonest symptoms are: vomiting, undefined abdominal pain, and high temperature. Abdominal distention and diffuse abdominal tenderness are the most frequent signs during examination. Our analysis (1991-2000) included all patients younger than 3 years who were hospitalized in Clinic for Pediatric Surgery Nis with diagnosis of the acute appendicitis. Out of 2533 patients with disease, 58 (2.3%) were younger than 3 years, 23 were girls (39.7%) and 35 were boys (60.3%). Perforated appendicitis was found in 55 (94.8%) of 58 children. Thirty five (60.5%) patients were previously treated. Complications developed in 36 (62.1%) cases: purulence (58.3%), dehiscence (22.3%), abdominal wall abscess (13.8%), and ileus (5.6%). Acute appendicitis is very specific condition that needs high attention by all doctors engaged in pediatric health care. Our recommendation is "to admit and observe" by using the physical examination in all suspected cases. Sometimes, even sedation may be used for better palpation results.

Appendicitis↗