Is there a correlation between the diagnostic test results and the histopathological diagnoses of acute appendicitis in a Turkish hospital in Somalia?

Abstract

Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdomen. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical data of the patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis in the emergency department of a Turkish tertiary care center in Somalia. The association between the diagnostic test results and the histopathological diagnoses was also analyzed. Data of the patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis at the emergency department between the 1st of January 2021 and the 31st of December 2021 period were retrospectively reviewed. The demographic data, clinical features, laboratory test results and radiological and histopathological findings of the participants were retrieved from the hospital’s electronic medical records for patients in the database. Overall, 83 patients were included. Among those, 59 (71.1%) were male, and the mean patient age was 22±8.2. The mean values of the leukocyte and neutrophil counts and the C-reactive protein levels were higher than the normal range. The laboratory test, abdominal ultrasonography, and enhanced computerized tomography results were compared with the histopathological findings. Only the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio was found (to be) significant in the diagnosis of complicated appendicitis. The clinical data, laboratory tests, and radiological imaging findings should be evaluated together to diagnose acute appendicitis. Prompt diagnosis is essential for the prevention of postoperative complications and mortality. A statistically significant difference was found in the comparison of the lymphocyte counts, NLR values, and histopathological findings (p=0.01 and p=0.008).