Investigation of the characteristics differentiating complicated and non-complicated appendicitis: A prospective analysis

Abstract

Aim: To investigate preoperative laboratory and clinical results and imaging methods in patients with complicated and noncomplicated appendicitis.Materials and Methods: A total of 141 patients aged over 16 years, who underwent surgery with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis,were included in the study. In patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis based on physical examination and laboratoryfindings, abdominal contrast-enhanced tomography was performed for confirmation and differential diagnosis. Age, gender,body temperature, complaint, duration of complaint, number of white blood cells, the largest diameter of appendicitis measuredon computed tomography (CT), Alvarado score, and recurrent admission to any health institution with the same complaint wererecorded. Intraoperative findings and pathology reports were evaluated to determine whether the appendicitis was complicated, andthe cases were divided into two groups as complicated and non-complicated.Results: Totally 141 patients were included in the study, 39 cases were classified as complicated and 102 cases as non-complicatedappendicitis. There were more people with high fever in the complicated group (p=0.023). The median of largest appendicitis diametermeasured on the CT was 8.5 (5.5-15) mm, and a significant difference was determined between the two groups in terms of diameter(p