Acute appendicitis incidence, diagnostic markers, and sequelae; Dallah hospital based study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Acute appendicitis is currently considered one of the most common acute surgical diseases of the abdomen and requires emergency surgery. It is also one of the most common abdominal emergencies in both developed and developing countries. The current study is aimed at assessing the specificity and sensitivity of Ultrasound and Computed Tomography in the diagnosis of
appendicitis as well as the prevalence of its complications. The association of appendicitis with several laboratory findings will also be evaluated.
Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted at Dallah-Namar Hospital, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.
Results: 720 patients were differentially diagnosed with appendicitis in the study area. Of these, 618 patients had US abdomen/pelvis, with 15 (2.4%) showing positive findings. Amongst the 203 patients noted to have undergone abdominal CT,8 (4.0%) were found to have positive findings.
Conclusion: The sensitivity of the US was determined to be relatively low. Also, serum creatinine was found to be elevated among all patients diagnosed with appendicitis. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to be conducted to further support the current findings.