Acute Appendicitis in Pregnant Women: Our Clinical Experience.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyse 13 patients who were treated in our clinic due to acute appendicitis during pregnancy.

METHODS: Records of the patients who received appendectomy with appendicitis diagnosis in our Turgut Özal University Research and Application Hospital between January 2007 and December 2015 have been analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS: Appendectomies were performed on 13 pregnant patients with an acute appendicitis diagnosis. Average age of the patients was 27.69 years (between 22-37 years). Most frequent complaint of the patients was abdominal pain and most frequent examination finding was tenderness at right lower quadrant. Ultrasonography was used in all cases for diagnosis. Surgery was decided with clinical diagnosis for five cases (38.5%) where appendix had not been identified with ultrasonography. While laparoscopic appendectomy was applied in one case (7.7%) and open appendectomy was applied using a McBurney incision in 12 cases (92.3%). Average hospitalization duration was 1.69 days. All patients were tracked together through the Gynaecology Department for two weeks after they had been discharged from the hospital. Preterm delivery, maternal and fetal loss did not occur.

CONCLUSION: It is considered appropriate to apply ultrasonography routinely to all pregnant patients in whom acute appendicitis is suspected. Concern for maternal or fetal complication that may occur in consequence of an unnecessary surgery should not be at a level that will delay surgical treatment needed by the patient.