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PubMed2000

Appendicitis in pregnancy: new information that contradicts long-held clinical beliefs.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to elicit a better understanding of the presentation of acute appendicitis in pregnancy and to clarify diagnostic dilemmas reported in the literature. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed 66,993 consecutive deliveries from 1986 to 1995 by a computer program. Selected records were reviewed for gestational age; signs and symptoms at presentation; complications including preterm contractions, preterm labor, and appendiceal rupture; and histologic diagnosis of appendicitis. RESULTS: Of 66, 993 deliveries, 67 (0.1%) were complicated by a preoperative diagnosis of probable appendicitis. Acute appendicitis was confirmed histologically in 45 (67%) of the 67 cases, for an incidence of 1 in 1493 pregnancies in this population. Distribution of suspected appendicitis in pregnancy was as follows: first trimester, 17 cases (25%); second trimester, 27 (40%); and third trimester, 23 (34%). Right-lower-quadrant pain was the most common presenting symptom regardless of gestational age (first trimester, 12 [86%] of 14 cases; second trimester, 15 [83%] of 18 cases; and third trimester, 10 [78%] of 13 cases). The mean maximal temperature for proven appendicitis was 37.6 degrees C (35.5 degrees C-39.4 degrees C), in comparison with 37.8 degrees C (36.7 degrees C-38.9 degrees C; not significant) for those with normal histologic findings. The mean leukocyte count in patients with proven appendicitis was 16.4 x 10(9)/L (8.2-27.0 x 10(9)/L), in comparison with 14.0 x 10(9)/L (5. 9-25.0 x 10(9)/L) for patients with normal histologic findings. At the time of surgery, perforation had occurred in 8 cases. Of 23 patients at > or =24 weeks' gestational age, 19 (83%) had contractions and an additional 3 patients (13%) had preterm labor with documented cervical change. One patient was delivered in the immediate postoperative period because of abruptio placentae. CONCLUSION: Pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen is the most common presenting symptom of appendicitis in pregnancy regardless of gestational age. Fever and leukocytosis are not clear indicators of appendicitis in pregnancy and preterm labor is a problem after appendectomy, but preterm delivery is rare.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2004

The burden of appendicitis-related hospitalizations in the United States in 1997.

BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is among the most frequent causes of surgical abdominal disease worldwide. METHODS: Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Utilization Project were used to estimate the prevalence and disease burden of appendicitis-related hospitalizations in the United States in 1997. The data are a representative sample of discharge records from community hospitals drawn from 22 states in the United States. RESULTS: In the United States in 1997, there were an estimated 252,682 (95% CI: 242,957-262,407) appendicitis-related hospitalizations. The mean length of stay and total charges for appendicitis-related hospitalizations were four days (95% CI: 3.4-4.6) and $11,645 (95% CI: $11,299-$11,992) per hospitalization, respectively. Appendicitis-related hospitalizations associated with post-operative infection, peritoneal abscess, or peritonitis had longer average lengths of stay and higher average costs when compared to hospitalizations associated with local appendicitis without post-operative infection. Appendicitis cases among very young and older patients were more likely to be associated with peritoneal abscess, peritonitis, or post-operative infection. CONCLUSIONS: In 1997, appendicitis-related hospitalizations accounted for 0.6% of all hospitalizations in the United States, resulting in approximately one million hospital days and $3 billion in hospital charges. Between 1984 and 1997, the rate of appendicitis hospitalizations in the U. S. population declined slightly, whereas the total number of hospital days remained unchanged.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

99m Tc anti-CD 15 monoclonal antibody (LeuTech) imaging improves diagnostic accuracy and clinical management in patients with equivocal presentation of appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis frequently presents in an atypical fashion leading to misdiagnosis or a delay in diagnosis. This is particularly true in early cases where the patient may be erroneously discharged from an emergency department and will invariably return with perforated appendicitis. The standard of care is hospital admission for observation or early operation. Adjunctive imaging tests have been used with mixed results in this equivocal patient population. The authors studied a promising new monoclonal antibody, 99mTc-labeled anti-CD 15 (LeuTech; Palatin Technologies, Inc., Princeton, NJ), which specifically targets neutrophils and may be used for imaging appendicitis. This prospective, multicenter, open-label study evaluated the diagnostic efficacy and clinical impact of LeuTech scintigraphy for detecting appendicitis in patients with an equivocal presentation. METHODS: A total of 200 patients (121 females, 79 males; age range 5-86 years; mean age 30.5 +/- 16.5 years) completed the study. Management plan was formulated before and reassessed following LeuTech imaging to determine impact on management. Following intravenous injection of LeuTech, the abdomen was imaged with a standard gamma camera for 30 to 90 minutes. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients had a histopathologic diagnosis of acute appendicitis. LeuTech identified 53 of 59 patients with appendicitis (90% sensitivity) and was negative in 122 of 141 patients without appendicitis (87% specificity). Accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 88%, 74%, and 95%, respectively. Diagnostic efficacy was unchanged in a subgroup of 48 pediatric patients (5-17 years). Diagnostic images for appendicitis were achieved within 8 minutes postinjection in 50% of patients and within 47 minutes in 90% of patients. Significant shifts in patient management decisions were evident following LeuTech results. LeuTech was well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported. CONCLUSION: LeuTech is a convenient, safe, rapid, and sensitive imaging test for diagnosis of appendicitis and favorably impacts patient management in adult and pediatric patients with equivocal signs and symptoms.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Delay in surgery for acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: The present study investigates the effect of delay in appendicectomy on the outcome of surgery and also examines the contribution of patient and physician related delay to the stage of appendicitis. METHODS: During a 12-month period, 114 consecutive adult patients undergoing appendicectomy for acute appendicitis were monitored prospectively. Time of onset of symptoms, presentation to the hospital, surgery consultation, decision to operate and starting of surgery were all noted. The stage of the appendicitis was identified based on operative findings and pathology reports. Postoperative events were recorded. The stage of appendicitis and outcome were related to the prehospital and in-hospital delay of each patient. RESULTS: There were three (2.6%) normal, 62 (54.4%) early inflamed and 49 (43%) cases of advanced appendicitis. The total delay from onset of symptoms to performance of appendicectomy was 2.4 times longer in the advanced appendicitis group than in the early inflamed appendicitis group. There was no significant difference in the in-hospital delay between the two groups. Delay in the resumption of oral feed and total hospital stay were significantly higher in the advanced appendicitis group. CONCLUSIONS: The present prospective study concludes that morbidity caused by acute appendicitis correlates directly with delay in treatment. In the majority of cases the delay in treatment is predominantly caused by patient related factors. The negative appendicectomy rate can be reduced by close observation of cases with clinical uncertainty without increasing the morbidity.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

Impact of helical computed tomography on the outcomes of emergency department patients with suspected appendicitis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of an emergency department (ED) guideline employing selective use of helical computed tomography (CT) on clinical outcomes of female patients with suspected appendicitis. METHODS: All patients presenting with suspected appendicitis were prospectively enrolled and managed in accordance with a guideline incorporating selective use of helical CT. Although not the objective of this investigation, male patients were included for purposes of comparison. Patients with clinically evident appendicitis were referred to the surgical service, and patients with equivocal presentations were studied with helical CT. Patients were followed to final surgical or clinical outcomes. Outcome measures included time from ED presentation to laparotomy and rate of appendiceal perforation. These measures were compared with those of a historical cohort of patients preceding the use of helical CT. RESULTS: A total of 310 consecutive patients with suspected appendicitis were enrolled; 92 had appendicitis. Sixty patients were referred to the surgical service without helical CT, and 41 had appendicitis (68%). Helical CT was performed on 250 patients; 51 had appendicitis (20%). For males, the mean interval from ED presentation to laparotomy was 559 minutes (95% CI = 444 to 674 minutes) during guideline use and 480 minutes (95% CI = 405 to 555 minutes) before. This interval for females was 433 minutes (95% CI = 326 to 540 minutes) during guideline use and 710 minutes (95% CI = 558 to 862 minutes) before. Appendiceal perforation rate for males was 0.25 (95% CI = 0.14 to 0.36) during guideline use and 0.38 (95% CI = 0.29 to 0.47) before; perforation rate for females was 0.06 (95% CI = -0.05 to 0.17) during guideline use and 0.23 (95% CI = 0.14 to 0.32) before. Helical CT had 92% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and 96% accuracy in diagnosing appendicitis. CONCLUSIONS: Helical CT is highly accurate in detecting appendicitis in patients with equivocal ED presentations. The use of a guideline employing selective helical CT was associated with a decline in the time from ED presentation to operative intervention in females.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Diagnostic value of unenhanced helical CT in adult patients with suspected acute appendicitis.

Clinical diagnosis of appendicitis is usually made on the basis of history, physical examination and laboratory studies. Approximately 30-45% of patients with suspected appendicitis present with atypical clinical and laboratory findings. Recently graded compression ultrasound and thin section unenhanced helical CT have been used to establish diagnosis for patients with suspected acute appendicitis. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of thin section unenhanced helical CT protocol in adult patients with suspected acute appendicitis. CT scans obtained when patients presented with right lower quadrant pain and the clinical impression was equivocal for appendicitis were evaluated. Of 296 patients referred for CT, 123 patients subsequently underwent surgery. Appendicitis had been correctly predicted in 104 of 108 patients surgically proven to have appendicitis. Unenhanced helical CT in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis had a sensitivity of 96%, specificity of 98%, positive predictive value of 97% and negative predictive value of 98%. If no definite inflammatory changes are detected, on the basis of our experience we recommend that the patient be monitored clinically, and that thin section unenhanced helical CT is the optimal technique to detect acute appendicitis in adult patients.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Selective imaging strategies for the diagnosis of appendicitis in children.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported an appendiceal imaging protocol in which children with equivocal clinical presentations for acute appendicitis undergo ultrasonography (US) followed by computed tomography (CT). However, risk groups of children who would benefit most from imaging studies have not been established. OBJECTIVE: To define and test selective imaging guidelines to increase diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary testing for children with suspected appendicitis. METHODS: We modeled outcomes under 3 different management guidelines. Patients were risk-stratified by a recursive partitioning analysis of a retrospective cohort. Subjects included children with equivocal presentations of acute appendicitis evaluated between January 1996 and December 1999. By using recursive partitioning, 3 risk groups were identified: low, medium, and high risk for acute appendicitis. Three imaging guidelines were defined. Under the first guideline, representing standard clinical practice at Children's Hospital Boston at the time of the study, all children with equivocal signs and symptoms for acute appendicitis undergo US first. If the US is positive, the child proceeds to appendectomy. If the US is negative, the child undergoes CT. Under guideline 2, low-risk children undergo US and, if negative, are discharged from the hospital. High-risk children undergo CT, and medium-risk children undergo US followed by CT. Under the third guideline, low-risk children undergo no imaging and are admitted for observation. High-risk children proceed directly to appendectomy without imaging studies. Medium-risk children undergo US followed by CT. Clinical outcomes and the number of imaging studies performed were modeled under current practice and under each guideline. RESULTS: Identified were 1401 cases of equivocal appendicitis; 958 (68.4%) with complete data. The mean age was 11 +/- 4.3 years. Of 958 children, 588 (61.4%) had acute appendicitis. One hundred forty-three patients were in the low-risk group, defined as neutrophils 67%, white blood cell count >10,000/mm(3), guarding, and abdominal pain >13 hours. Of these, 202 (90%) had appendicitis. Under guideline 1, there were 22 negative appendectomies, 35 missed or delayed diagnoses, and 958 USs and 673 CT scans performed. Under guideline 2, there would have been 23 negative appendectomies, 36 missed or delayed diagnoses, and 733 USs and 637 CT scans performed. Under guideline 3, there would have been 36 negative appendectomies, 37 missed or delayed diagnoses, and 590 USs and 412 CT scans performed. CONCLUSIONS: Selective imaging guidelines can reduce the number of radiographic studies performed with minimal diminution in accuracy of diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis.

Appendicitis↗
PubMed2005

Effects of race, insurance status, and hospital volume on perforated appendicitis in children.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research suggests that perforated appendicitis is more common in Medicaid patients, but the roles of minority race and hospital volume remain largely unstudied. We sought to investigate the association of perforated appendicitis in children with minority race, insurance status, and hospital volume. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study of 33184 children who had an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis code for acute appendicitis in The Kids' Inpatient Database, a pediatric database from 22 states in 1997. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to determine patient and hospital characteristics predictive of perforated appendicitis. RESULTS: Of 33184 children with acute appendicitis, 10777 (32.5%) were perforated. In multivariate analysis, black (odds ratio [OR]: 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.39) and Hispanic (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.29) children were more likely to have perforated appendicitis than white children. Perforation was also more likely in Medicaid patients (OR: 1.30; 95% CI 1.22-1.39) compared with privately insured children. Annual hospital volume of cases of appendicitis was not significantly associated with perforation in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Perforated appendicitis disproportionately affected both children of minority race and children insured by Medicaid. No effect of hospital volume was observed. To reduce this racial disparity, efforts should focus on the causes of delayed diagnosis and the treatment of appendicitis in children of minority race.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Diagnosis of appendiceal abscess in children with acute appendicitis: value of color Doppler sonography.

OBJECTIVE: We performed color Doppler imaging of the right lower quadrant in children with acute appendicitis to characterize the imaging findings indicative of appendiceal perforation and to determine the value of this technique in diagnosing appendiceal abscesses. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-seven children with surgically proven appendicitis underwent color Doppler sonography of the right lower quadrant as an adjunct to gray-scale sonography. At pathologic examination, 27 patients had nonperforating appendicitis and 20 patients had perforating appendicitis. In the latter group, seven patients had abscesses and 10 had phlegmon. The color Doppler sonograms were evaluated for the presence or absence of appendiceal hyperemia, hyperemic periappendiceal or pelvic fluid collections, and hyperemic soft tissues in the right lower quadrant. RESULTS: Color Doppler sonography showed appendiceal hyperemia in 21 (78%) of the 27 patients with nonperforating appendicitis and in eight (40%) of the 20 patients with perforating appendicitis. The hyperemia was scattered in 14 (67%) of the 21 patients without perforation and in six (75%) of the eight patients with perforation. The remaining patients with blood flow identifiable on color Doppler sonography had focal appendiceal hyperemia. For seven (35%) of the 20 patients with perforating appendicitis, color Doppler examination showed hyperemic, loculated periappendiceal or pelvic fluid collections, subsequently proved to be abscesses at surgery. No patient with nonperforating appendicitis had a hyperemic, loculated periappendiceal or pelvic fluid collection. Ten patients with perforating appendicitis displayed increased color Doppler signal in the adjacent right-lower-quadrant bowel loops and soft tissues, indicating phlegmon or peritonitis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the best color Doppler sonographic predictors of appendiceal perforation are a hyperemic periappendiceal or pelvic fluid collection and periappendiceal soft-tissue hyperemia. A hyperemic, loculated fluid collection appears specific for the diagnosis of abscess.

Abdominal Abscess↗
PubMed2002

Graded compression sonography with adjuvant use of a posterior manual compression technique in the sonographic diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the usefulness of graded compression sonography with the adjuvant use of a posterior manual compression technique for detection of the vermiform appendix and the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Five hundred seventy consecutive patients referred for suspected acute appendicitis were prospectively examined by original, graded compression sonography with a 5- or a 7.5-MHz linear transducer. A posterior manual compression technique was added for 85 patients whose vermiform appendix was not identified with graded compression sonography. For consensus, another experienced radiologist or a resident observer was in attendance throughout the examination. The detection rate for the vermiform appendix and the diagnostic accuracy for acute appendicitis before and after the adjuvant use of a posterior manual compression technique were obtained, respectively, and final diagnoses were established with the official radiology reports, surgical results, and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Graded compression sonography enabled visualization of the vermiform appendix in 485 (85%) of 570 patients. After the adjuvant use of a posterior manual compression technique, the vermiform appendix was found in an additional 57 of 85 patients, with the number of identified vermiform appendices increasing to 542 (95%) of 570 patients. The 57 patients with an additionally found appendix included 11 patients with acute appendicitis. The sonographic diagnosis of acute appendicitis was determined in 312 of 542 patients. Acute appendicitis was proven by surgery in 311 of 332 patients. Sonography was used to establish the diagnosis in 302 of the 311 patients with proven appendicitis; there were 10 false-positive diagnoses and nine false-negative diagnoses. One false-positive diagnosis was acquired after use of the posterior manual compression technique. These results showed more improvement than those of the probabilities for acute appendicitis with single use of graded compression sonography. CONCLUSION: Graded compression sonography with adjuvant use of a posterior manual compression technique seems to be useful for detecting the vermiform appendix and for diagnosing acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

Doppler ultrasound accurately screens patients with appendicitis.

Ultrasound (US) has been reported as a useful aid to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of appendicitis. To determine the accuracy of US, we performed a prospective study of patients evaluated in the emergency department for acute appendicitis. US results of 125 consecutive patients over an 11-month period were correlated with operative and pathologic findings and clinical follow-up. The appendix was visualized as a noncompressible structure in 19 patients, and 18 had appendicitis (95%). Ten of the 12 patients with abnormal Doppler activity in the appendix had appendicitis (83%). Conversely, the appendix could not be visualized in 102 patients, and 100 did not have appendicitis (98%). One hundred five of the 113 patients (93%) with absent abnormal Doppler activity did not have appendicitis. Ninety-four of the 125 patients had neither visualization of the appendix nor abnormal activity, and 2 had appendicitis. The sensitivity of US for appendicitis was 90 per cent, and the specificity was 94 per cent. Visualization of the noncompressible appendix or abnormal Doppler activity strongly suggests appendicitis. More importantly, the absence of both of these ultrasonographic findings defines a patient subset that may be safely discharged from the emergency department without admission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Scintigraphic determination of equivocal appendicitis.

We evaluated Tc-99m-labeled anti-CD15 immunoglobulin M monoclonal antibody (LeuTech) for scintigraphic detection of acute appendicitis in patients with an equivocal clinical presentation. LeuTech avidly binds to circulating and sequestered human polymorphonuclear neutrophils in vivo eliminating the need for in vitro cell labeling and the risks of blood handling. We studied 99 patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LeuTech imaging. Serial dynamic and static planar images were acquired for up to 3 hours after the intravenous administration of 10 to 20 mCi of Tc-99m LeuTech. Scans were read as positive or negative for acute appendicitis or other intra-abdominal infection. The institutional diagnosis was established by surgery and histopathology of the appendix, results of other diagnostic studies, or 2-week clinical follow-up. Scans were positive for appendicitis in 39 of 40 patients with appendicitis at surgery (sensitivity 98%) and negative for appendicitis in 49 of 58 patients without appendicitis (specificity 84%). One was lost to follow-up. Accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 90, 81, and 98 per cent respectively. In patients with appendicitis and positive scans more than 50 per cent of the images were positive at 4 minutes, and all were positive by 1 hour. Mean time of first positive image was 15 minutes. There were no serious adverse reactions. We conclude that LeuTech imaging is a highly sensitive test for detection of appendicitis in equivocal cases. There are advantages of this agent over the other currently used radiotracers in terms of convenience and time to diagnosis particularly the rapidity with which acute appendicitis will be seen on the images.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2000

Delays by patients, emergency physicians, and surgeons in the management of acute appendicitis: retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the contributions of patients, emergency physicians, and surgeons in the delay of diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis, and the effects of delay on disease stage and complication rate. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Accident and emergency department of a district public hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: All patients undergoing emergency appendectomy between August 1998 to September 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient delay in presentation, emergency physician delay in hospital admission, and surgeon delay in performing the operation; operative findings; and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Of 158 patients undergoing emergency operation, 14 had no pathological diagnosis and four had a diagnosis other than that of acute appendicitis. Of the 140 pathologically confirmed cases of appendicitis, the mean emergency patient delay was greater in advanced appendicitis than it was in simple appendicitis (42.0 hours versus 24.9 hours; P<0.005). The mean emergency physician delay in advanced appendicitis was also greater than it was in simple appendicitis (17.9 hours versus 5.8 hours; P<0.05). The difference in the mean surgeon delay in simple (10.9 hours) and advanced (16.3 hours) appendicitis, however, was not significant. The mean emergency physician delay showed a significant association with the postoperative complication rate (P=0.05). The delay was mainly because of a failure to diagnose the condition and admit the patient at the first visit to the accident and emergency department (22.1%). The diagnostic accuracy showed a significant association with the level of experience of the emergency physician involved (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There should be a higher index of suspicion, better surgical training, and better senior supervision at accident and emergency departments, to avoid preventable morbidity and mortality in acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Enhanced CT in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis to evaluate the severity of disease: comparison of CT findings and histological diagnosis.

PURPOSE: To assess the potential of CT in evaluating the histological severity of acute appendicitis in comparison with surgical and pathological findings. METHOD: The CT images of 75 patients with surgically proven appendicitis, including 10 cases of catarrhal, 34 of phlegmonous, and 31 of gangrenous appendicitis, were retrospectively analyzed for the following five CT findings: (1) hazy periappendiceal densities, (2) enlarged appendix, (3) increased enhancement of the appendiceal wall, (4) increased enhancement of the periappendiceal intestinal wall, and (5) deficiency of the appendiceal wall. By comparing all the CT findings and the pathological severity of appendicitis (catarrhal, phlegmonous, and gangrenous), the prevalence of the five CT findings was calculated for each pathological category. RESULTS: Abnormal CT findings were noted in only one case of catarrhal appendicitis. Increased enhancement of the appendiceal wall was observed in all 29 cases of phlegmonous appendicitis (100%), but in only 66.7% (18 cases) of gangrenous appendicitis. Deficiency of the appendiceal wall was more frequently observed in gangrenous (19/27, 70.4%) than phlegmonous appendicitis (4/29, 13.8%). CONCLUSION: Findings of enhanced CT provide useful information in evaluating the pathological severity of acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

[Unenhanced spiral CT in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of unenhanced spiral computed tomography (CT) in the work-up of patients with suspicious symptoms of acute appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients with suspected acute appendicitis (34 (52%) women and 31 (48%) men), were studied with spiral CT without administration of IV or oral contrast. From the upper L1 vertebral plate to the superior border of the iliac wings, slices of 10 mm collimation with 8 mm/sec table speed were taken, and from that level to the acetabular roof level, 5 mm thick slices were obtained with a table speed of 5 mm/sec and tube rotation time of 1.5 sec. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made by seeing a dilated appendix vermiformis greater than 6 mm in diameter and/or an appendicolith accompanied by periappendiceal inflammatory changes. The findings were compared with surgical and pathological results. Those patients who were not operated on were followed-up for 3 months. RESULTS: Acute appendicitis was diagnosed in 28 (43%) of the 65 patients. Of the 28 patients with a CT diagnosis of acute appendicitis, 25 (38%) had acute appendicitis proven by surgery and pathology. Twenty-one (32%) patients had a normal CT study and 16 (25%) patients had non-appendiceal pathologies. There were 25 true-positives, 35 true negatives, 3 false positives and 2 false negatives. Non-contrast helical CT had a sensitivity of 93%, specificity of 92%, accuracy of 95%, positive predictive value of 89% and negative predictive value of 95% in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. CONCLUSION: Non-contrast CT is an accurate, reliable and efficacious method in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. It also has the advantage of showing other pathologies mimicking the symptoms of acute appendicitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Enhanced multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and its severity.

PURPOSE: To examine the accuracy of enhanced multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in diagnosing acute appendicitis and its severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Contrast-enhanced MD-CT 3.5 mm thick images of 23 control patients (A), and 64 patients with surgically proven acute appendicitis including 8 catarrhal (B), 28 phlegmonous (C), and 28 gangrenous (D) appendicitis patients were respectively analyzed. RESULTS: The number of observed major computed tomography (CT) findings for each patient group were as follows: enlarged (> or = 6 mm in maximum diameter) appendix (A: 5, B: 8, C: 28, D: 28), enhancement of the appendiceal wall; hyper (A: 3, B: 8, C: 27, D: 20), iso (A: 15, B: 0, C: 1, D: 2), hypo (A-C: 0, D: 4), and patched (A-C: 0, D: 2) enhancement, appendicolith (A, B: 0, C: 7, D: 13), dirty fat sign (A: 3, B: 1, C: 21, D: 28), localized ascites (A: 2, B: 0, C: 2, D: 11), and abscess formation (A-C: 0, D: 5). From the combinations of these findings, we could differentiate acute appendicitis from the control normal appendix with an accuracy of 99% and could diagnose the severity of acute appendicitis with accuracies of 92% for catarrhal appendicitis, 84% for phlegmonous appendicitis, and 92% for gangrenous appendicitis. We could also visually reconstruct the entire forms and positions of the appendices from the successive CT findings because of the high-resolution thin-slice MDCT images. CONCLUSION: MDCT is highly accurate in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and its severity.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

The role of the cytokines and cell-adhesion molecules on the immunopathology of acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the local expression of the proinflammatory cytokine such as interferon gamma and anti-inflammatory cytokine like interleukin-10 (IL-10) and their role in cell adhesion molecules (CAM) expression on the surface of endothelial cell at the site of inflammation in acute appendicitis. The local expression of these cytokines and CAM was correlated with clinical findings to shed light on their role in the pathogenesis of acute appendicitis. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with acute appendicitis and 6 apparently normal appendices were removed incidentally from individuals presented with problems other than appendicitis, were included in this prospective study. They were attendant of the emergency room in Al-Khadhumiyah Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, from October 2003 to September 2004. Cell adhesion molecules (intracellular adhesion molecule-1 [ICAM-l], ICAM-3 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 [VCAM-1]) were detected by immunohistochemistry while IL-10 and interferon gamma were detected by in situ hybridization. The specimens were classified into 5 groups; early acute appendicitis, phlegmonous appendicitis, ulcero-phlegmonous appendicitis, and gangrenous appendicitis, and the fifth group included specimens that showed no histopathological changes, defined as histologically normal appendix. RESULTS: Intracellular adhesion molecule-1, VCAM-I, IL-10 and interferon gamma were expressed weakly in the control group, while ICAM-3 was not detected in the control group. The average score for ICAM-I, VCAM-1 and the percentage of cells expressing IL-l0 and interferon gamma were significantly higher in the patient groups when compared with the control group. Intracellular adhesion molecule-3 was expressed in the patient group. CONCLUSION: The kinetics of CAM expression were tightly correlated to the balance between IL-10 and interferon gamma especially after 12.5 hours from the first symptoms experienced by the patients. The interferon gamma was the main player and the most significant factor that leads to shifting of cases towards gangrenous appendicitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of children with possible appendicitis using technetium 99m leukocyte scan.

We evaluated the use of technetium 99m albumin colloid white blood cell (TAC-WBC) scan in 33 children with possible appendicitis. Ten children had appendicitis, four of whom had perforated their appendix at the time of surgery. Children with appendicitis differed from children without appendicitis in the incidence of right lower quadrant rebound tenderness (60% vs 17.4%), and white blood cell count (X10(3)/mm3) (14.0 + 1.9 vs 10.7 +/- 1.0). TAC-WBC scans were interpreted as either positive, negative, or indeterminate for appendiceal pathology. Twenty-five children had positive or negative scans for appendiceal pathology. There were 7 true positives, 2 false positives, 16 true negatives, and 0 false negatives. This resulted in a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 89%, an accuracy of 92%, a positive predictive value of 78%, and a negative predictive value of 100%. The TAC-WBC scan was indeterminate (abnormal but nondiagnostic for appendicitis) in eight children (24%), three of whom had appendicitis. The main values of TAC-WBC scan in our study of children with possible appendicitis were that it could be used emergently, it was abnormal in 100% of children with appendicitis, and it had a high negative predictive value (100%). The main limitation of TAC-WBC scan in our study was that it was indeterminate for appendiceal pathology in 24% of children. We recommend that TAC-WBC scan be used in children with possible appendicitis because it may allow outpatient management of up to 48%.

Adolescent↗