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PubMed1980

Appendicitis with perforation: the dilated transverse colon sign.

The dilated transverse colon sign in acute appendicitis has not been described previously. However, it was noted in 10 of 82 patients with acute appendicitis, and in all 10 cases, perforation had occurred. Since this sign was not seen in nonperforated appendicitis, it is believed to be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, radiographic signs of perforation. It is believed to result from a combination of paralytic ileus of the transverse colon and spasm of the ascending colon, and once appreciated, becomes a valuable asset in the plain film assessment of appendicitis.

Appendicitis↗
PubMed1986

Coiled-spring sign of the cecum in acute appendicitis.

A concentric ring appearance of the cecal mucosa on a barium enema is a distinctive but nonspecific radiographic finding that has been termed the vortical, whirlwind, or coiled-spring sign. It can be caused by inversion of a postappendectomy stump and transient intussusception of the intact appendix in asymptomatic patients. The sign has also been reported with mucoceles, carcinoma, and endometriosis of the appendix, but there has been little mention of it in connection with acute appendicitis. The records of 18 patients with a coiled-spring sign and nonfilling of the appendix were reviewed. Acute appendicitis was proven in 14 of 18. In five of these 14, this sign was the only finding accompanying nonfilling of the appendix. On review of 53 cases of pathologically proven acute appendicitis studied by preoperative barium enema, 14 had a coiled-spring sign. The coiled-spring sign is nonspecific but can be produced by acute appendicitis, where it may be the only positive sign accompanying nonfilling of the appendix.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Sonography in patients with suspected acute appendicitis: value in establishing alternative diagnoses.

We reviewed the clinical and sonographic findings in 297 patients who had graded compression sonography for suspected acute appendicitis. The purpose of the study was to determine the accuracy of sonography in detecting other diseases in the 174 patients in this group who proved not to have acute appendicitis. Of the 174 patients without acute appendicitis, 93 patients (53%) were ultimately discharged with a diagnosis of abdominal pain of unknown origin. Of the 81 patients in whom specific diagnoses were established, sonography suggested the correct diagnosis in 57 patients (70%). A broad spectrum of diseases was detected, including: gynecologic diseases (35); visceral diseases, including hollow viscera and diseases of liver, pancreas, or spleen (18); and urinary tract abnormalities (four). This study suggests that sonography is useful in establishing alternative diagnoses in patients undergoing sonography for suspected acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children: spectrum of sonographic findings.

The sonographic appearance of the appendix and the periappendiceal region may vary greatly in children with acute appendicitis, depending on the extent and degree of inflammation and the presence or absence of perforation. Recognition of the typical and atypical sonographic features of appendicitis can be important in its diagnosis. In this report, we illustrate the spectrum of sonographic findings in 250 children examined with the graded-compression technique because of suspected appendicitis. Sixty-three (25%) of these children were subsequently shown to have appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Helical CT combined with contrast material administered only through the colon for imaging of suspected appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: Helical CT combined with contrast material administered by mouth and through the colon has been shown to be accurate for appendiceal imaging. This investigation was performed to determine if helical CT combined with contrast material administered only through the colon has comparable accuracy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred patients prospectively underwent appendiceal CT imaging with thin-collimation, helical scanning limited to the lower abdomen and upper pelvis after contrast material was administered only through the colon. CT results were correlated with surgical and pathologic findings at appendectomy (56 patients), other surgery (three patients), or clinical follow-up at least 2 months after the CT scan (41 patients). RESULTS: Fifty-three CT scans were interpreted as positive for appendicitis, including 52 true-positives (with surgical-pathologic correlation) and on false-positive (with clinical follow-up). Forty-seven CT scans were interpreted as negative for appendicitis, including 40 true-negatives with clinical follow-up, three true-negatives with appendectomy and pathologic correlation, three true-negatives with other surgery and pathologic correlation, and one false-negative with appendectomy and pathologic correlation. CT had a 98% sensitivity, 98% specificity, 98% positive predictive value, 98% negative predictive value, and 98% accuracy for diagnosing or excluding appendicitis. In 47 normal appendix cases at CT, the appendix was seen in 44 cases (94%), and an alternative diagnosis was identified in 29 cases (62%). CONCLUSION: For diagnosing appendicitis, helical CT combined with contrast material administered only through the colon proved to be as accurate (98%) as helical CT combined with contrast material administered by mouth and through the colon. Helical CT with contrast material administered only through the colon also could be performed immediately and without any of the potential patient risks or discomforts of contrast material administered i.v. or by mouth.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Accuracy of noncompressive sonography of children with appendicitis according to the potential positions of the appendix.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates noncompressive sonography of appendicitis in children according to the potential positions of the appendix. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 425 consecutive boys and girls clinically suspected of having appendicitis. Noncompressive sonography used a 5.0-MHz curved-array transducer to assess deep layers. We systematically investigated the possible positions of the appendix by evaluating the right retrocecal region through the flank, the pelvis through the suprapubic region with the urinary bladder full, and the right lower quadrant. Whenever the appendix was not visualized, graded compression examination was performed with 5.0-MHz curved-array and 7.5-MHz linear transducers, and the remainder of the abdomen was thoroughly examined with 5.0- and 3.75-MHz curved-array transducers. Sonographic findings were correlated with pathology findings after surgery in 212 cases and with clinical follow-up in 213. RESULTS: Of the 425 patients with abdominal pain, 199 had surgically confirmed appendicitis; noncompressive examination accurately identified 135 (31.7%) of these 425 cases, and the combined noncompressive and compressive examinations diagnosed 196 cases. The combined noncompressive and compressive techniques had a sensitivity of 98.5% (95% confidence interval, 96.8-100), specificity of 98.2% (96.5-99.9), positive and negative predictive values of 98.0% (99.9) and 98.7% (97.2-100), respectively. CONCLUSION: The noncompressive technique is a valuable tool in sonographic investigation of appendicitis.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2001

Unenhanced limited CT of the abdomen in the diagnosis of appendicitis in children: comparison with sonography.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation is to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of unenhanced limited CT of the abdomen in children with suspected appendicitis and compare these results with graded compression sonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-six children underwent unenhanced limited CT over a 11-month period for evaluation of suspected appendicitis. A historical cohort of 86 consecutive children who had undergone graded compression sonography was identified. Results were correlated with surgical, pathologic, chart, and clinical follow-up data. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, rate of alternate diagnosis, time to perform examinations, and charge at our institution were determined for unenhanced limited CT and sonography. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for unenhanced limited CT were 97%, 100%, 99%, respectively, and were 100%, 88%, 91%, respectively, for sonography. Alternate diagnoses were suggested in 35% and 28% children without appendicitis who had unenhanced limited CT and sonography, respectively. Unenhanced limited CT required 5 min and sonography required 20-30 min to perform. The charge at our institution was $408 for unenhanced limited CT and $295 for sonography. CONCLUSIONS: CT can be performed rapidly in children without IV, oral, or rectal contrast medium. Unenhanced limited CT and sonography are highly sensitive, specific, and accurate in the evaluation of children with suspected appendicitis.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2002

Accuracy of nonfocused helical CT for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis: a 5-year review.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical usefulness of routine, nonfocused helical CT was evaluated in diagnosing acute appendicitis or providing an alternative diagnosis in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute lower abdominal pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed CT reports and clinical records of 650 consecutive adult patients who presented between January 1996 and December 2000 with right lower quadrant pain or lower abdominal pain and clinical findings suggestive of appendicitis. Helical CT was performed with oral contrast material in 610 cases (93.8%) and IV contrast in 572 cases (88.0%). Both vascular and enteric contrast media were administered in 544 cases (83.7%). Rectal contrast material was administered in 52 cases (8.0%). The abdomen was helically scanned from the dome of the diaphragm to the iliac crests with a collimation of 7 mm, from the iliac crests to the acetabular roof at a 5-mm collimation, from the acetabular roof to the symphysis pubis with a collimation of 5-10 mm. The surgical or clinical record was used for follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 650 patients, 552 (84.9%) had adequate clinical follow-up. There were 137 true-positive, eight false-positive, five false-negative, and 402 true-negative cases. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of nonfocused helical CT were 96.5%, 98.0%, 97.6%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 94.5% and 98.8%, respectively. In patients without acute appendicitis, CT suggested an alternative diagnosis, which clinically explained the patient's acute abdominal pain in 266 patients (66.2%). CONCLUSION: Nonfocused helical CT was highly accurate in diagnosing acute appendicitis or suggesting an alternative diagnosis in patients with acute lower abdominal pain or right lower quadrant pain.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

Value of bone window settings on CT for revealing appendicoliths in patients with appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: Our retrospective study was designed to determine whether the use of bone window settings increases sensitivity of CT for diagnosing appendicitis and for detecting an appendicolith in patients with pathologically confirmed appendicitis. CONCLUSION: The use of bone window settings is helpful for detecting appendicoliths when evaluating patients for acute appendicitis, particularly patients in whom evidence of appendicitis is equivocal. In this era of PACS (picture archiving and communication systems), bone window settings should be used routinely.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Helical CT evaluation of acute right lower quadrant pain: part II, uncommon mimics of appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our pictorial essay is to highlight the helical CT features of uncommon mimics of appendicitis and to provide clues to differentiate them from appendicitis. CONCLUSION: Uncommon mimics of appendicitis create a diagnostic challenge in patients with right lower quadrant pain. Recognition of the helical CT features of uncommon mimics of appendicitis is important in clinical management and avoiding unnecessary laparotomy.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Perforated appendicitis with purulent peritonitis in the third semester of pregnancy].

Acute appendicitis is the most common non-obstetric reason of abdominal pain in the pregnancy, causing significant increase of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This is a case report of a patient in the third trimester of pregnancy in whom perforated appendicitis caused purulent peritonitis. She was operated as an emergency case and cesarean section was performed. After the surgery and antibiotic administration according to drug susceptibility test, her postoperative course was uneventful. Delayed diagnosis of the acute appendicitis leads to increased rate of appendicular perforation, with numerous maternal and fetal complications. In cases of suspected appendicitis during pregnancy, surgical exploration is indicated, either by laparoscopy or laparotomy. Laparotomy is the method of choice in cases after 20 weeks of pregnancy and whenever signs of diffuse peritonitis are present.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The diagnostic value of repetitive preoperative analyses of C-reactive protein and total leucocyte count in patients with suspected acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) and total leucocyte count (WBC) in suspected acute appendicitis analysed only on admission gave valuable information to guide the surgeon. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of CRP and WBC measured repetitively before operation. METHODS: During a 1-year period 227 patients were studied before emergency appendicectomy. CRP and WBC were analysed every 4th h. The upper limits of the reference intervals used were 9.0 x 10(9)/l for WBC and 10 mg/l for CRP. RESULTS: Of the 227 appendicectomized patients, 170 (75%) had acute appendicitis. Sixty-six of the patients were tested on two or more occasions every 4th h. Forty-six of these patients had appendicitis; repetitive tests showed a continuing rise in CRP values but a continuing decrease in WBC. The negative appendicectomy rate among these 66 patients was 30%, which theoretically would have fallen to 19% if patients with normal results had not been subjected to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated laboratory tests for CRP and WBC should be performed in patients with suspected acute appendicitis requested to stay for further observation. If these test results are normal, the surgeon should preferably refrain from operating but consider other differential diagnoses.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ultrasonography in the diagnosis of appendicitis: evaluation by meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to review the usefulness of ultrasonography (US) for the diagnosis of appendicitis and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of US according to patients' and researchers' characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relevant Korean articles published between 1985 and 2003 were included in this study if the patients had clinical symptoms of acute appendicitis. The histopathologic findings were the reference standard and the data were presented for 2 x 2 tables. Articles were excluded if patients had no sonographic signs of appendicitis according to graded-compression US. Two reviewers independently extracted the data on study characteristics. The Hasselblad method was used to obtain the combined estimates of sensitivity and specificity for the performance of US. RESULTS: Twenty-two articles (2,643 patients) fulfilled all inclusion criteria. The estimate of d calculated by combining the sensitivity and specificity was 2.0054 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8553, 2.1554) by a random effects model. The overall sensitivity and specificity (95% CI) were 86.7% (85.4 to 88.0), and 90.0% (88.9 to 91.2), respectively. According to the subgroup meta-analysis by patients' characteristics, the d estimate (95% CI) of dominantly younger age, male, and highly clinical suggestive group for US was 2.2388 (1.8758 to 2.6019), 2.7131 (2.2493 to 3.1770), and 2.4582 (1.7387 to 3.1777), respectively. Also, according to subgroup meta-analysis by researchers' characteristics, the d value (95% CI) for US done by diagnostic radiologists and gray-scale was 2.0195 (1.7942 to 2.2447) and 2.2630 (1.8444 to 2.6815). CONCLUSION: This evidence suggests that US may be useful for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, especially when patients are younger age, male, and highly clinical suggestive.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Added value of coronal reformations for duty radiologists and for referring physicians or surgeons in the CT diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the added value of coronal reformation for radiologists and for referring physicians or surgeons in the CT diagnosis of acute appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Contrast-enhanced CT was performed using 16-detector-row scanners in 110 patients, 46 of whom had appendicitis. Transverse (5-mm thickness, 4-mm increment), coronal (5-mm thickness, 4-mm increment), and combined transverse and coronal sections were interpreted by four radiologists, two surgeons and two emergency physicians. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az value), sensitivity, specificity (McNemar test), diagnostic confidence and appendiceal visualization (Wilcoxon signed rank test) were compared. RESULTS: For radiologists, the additional coronal sections tended to increase the Az value (0.972 vs. 0.986, p = 0.076) and pooled sensitivity (92% [95% CI:88, 96] vs. 96% [93, 99]), and enhanced appendiceal visualization in true-positive cases (p = 0.031). For non-radiologists, no such enhancement was observed, and the confidence for excluding acute appendicitis declined (p = 0.013). Coronal sections alone were inferior to transverse sections for diagnostic confidence as well as appendiceal visualization for each reader group studied (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The added value of coronal reformation is more apparent for radiologists compared to referring physicians or surgeons in the CT diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Stump appendicitis is a rare delayed complication of appendectomy: A case report.

Stump appendicitis is an acute inflammation of the residual appendix and one of the rare complications after appendectomy. Paying attention to the possibility of stump appendicitis in patients with right lower abdominal pain after appendectomy can prevent the delay of diagnosis and treatment. In patients with stump appendicitis, CT scan not only assists in making an accurate preoperative diagnosis but also excludes other etiologies. We report a 47-year old man with preoperatively diagnosed stump appendicitis by CT, who underwent an open appendectomy 20 years ago.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2003

Use of a modified Alvorado score in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: The negative appendicectomy rates have remained high. The integration of clinical scores into the diagnostic process in acute appendicitis has had the purposes of improving decision making and reducing the negative rates in this common condition. The performance of these score systems have however, not been uniform. OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of a modified Alvorado score (1986) to predict groups of patients with suspected appendicitis for definite surgery, observation or discharge from hospital. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), a central referral and teaching hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. PATIENTS: One hundred and eighty nine patients with suspected acute appendicitis were studied over a period of twelve months. METHODS: Five symptoms and four signs were assigned numerical values and the patients scored out of a total of 10 points. A score of >7 predicted mandatory operation, 5-6 observation and score 1-4 predicted those not considered for surgery. The decision to operate was the prerogative of the surgeon or surgical resident based on overall clinical suspicion and not the diagnostic score. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with scores >7 was 40.7%. The mean score was 6.02. The mean ages and the gender ratios were similar across score groups. The negative appendicectomy rate was 17.6% for group 1-4, 16.5% for 5-6 and 19.7% for >7. These were similar to the overall negative rate of 18% based on clinical suspicion. The overall sensitivity and sensitivity for the scoring system was 80.3% and 16.8% respectively. CONCLUSION: High scores were found to perform poorly in predicting diagnosis of acute appendicitis preoperatively and in the reduction of negative appendicectomies. The integration of a scoring system does not offer advantage over degree of clinical suspicion.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed2006

Clinical profile and risk factors for perforation of acute appendicitis in children.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical profile and determine the risk factors associated with perforation of appendix in children under 13 years of age. DESIGN: A retrospective review of charts of children admitted for appendicitis between the year 1999 to 2000. SETTING: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Tikur Anbessa Specialised Hospital, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. SUBJECTS: A total of 147 children under the age of 13 years admitted for acute appendicitis. RESULTS: A total of 147 cases were analysed. The mean age was 9.3 years and appendicitis occurred more commonly among males. Factors independently found to be predictors of perforation by univariate analysis were: age <10 years, duration of illness for over 24 hours, history of treatment elsewhere before arrival to TAH, generalised abdominal tenderness, rebound tenderness and/or rigidity, hypoactive and/or absent bowel sound, RLQ mass, leukocytosis with neutrophilia and presence of complications. However, none of these was retained as significant factors in the multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: There are many factors that are associated with perforation but there is no single factor that independently predicted perforation of appendicitis. Delay in intervention due to late presentation to hospital is an important preventable factor.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

[Urological manifestations of acute appendicitis].

OBJECTIVES: To identify the most frequent urinary tract symptoms of acute appendicitis. To determine the findings in urine analysis. To establish statistically the relationships between age, sex, duration of abdominal pain, appendix position and the evolution stage with the findings on clinical history and urine analysis. METHODS: We studied 500 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for acute appendicitis registering all data specified in the objectives . The chi-square test was used to establish statistical relationships . RESULTS: One third of the patients showed some urinary symptoms; right flank pain and dysuria were the most frequent symptoms. Urinary sediment showed pyuria > 10 cells per high-power field in 1/7 patients, and more than 3 red blood cells per high-power field in 1/6. 1/7 patients presented proteinuria; and 1/77 presented casts. Urinary symptoms, proteinuria, and urinary casts appeared more frequently in patients older than 59 years; pyuria in the group between 15-19 years; and microhematuria in females. Pelvic and retrocecal appendix positions were associated with a higher incidence of voiding symptoms. Duration of abdominal pain and evolution stage did not have any statistical relationship with either symptoms or urine analysis findings. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary tract symptoms are frequent in acute appendicitis; their presence should not exclude the diagnosis of this disease. Urine analysis is not useful to rule out the existence of acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗