Unusual Histopathological Findings in Appendectomy Specimens Obtained from 1683 Pediatric Patients with Suspected Acute Appendicitis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to emphasize the importance of rare histopathological findings in appendix specimens of pediatric patients who underwent surgery for the preliminary (underwent appendectomy to treat an initial diagnosis) diagnosis of acute appendicitis. In this study, the demographic and histopathologic data of 1683 patients who underwent surgery for (presumed acute appendicitis) acute appendicitis between 2011 and 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. Appendectomy specimens were classified microscopically as appendix vermiformis, lymphoid hyperplasia, acute appendicitis, phlegmonous appendicitis, gangrenous appendicitis, perforated appendicitis, and unusual histopathological findings. Age, sex, clinical features, surgical reports, and macroscopic and microscopic features of appendix vermiformis were evaluated in patients with unusual histopathological findings. Ages of these 1683 patients ranged between 6 months and 17 years; among them, 1091 were men and 592 were women. Pathology reports included acute appendicitis (n = 827), phlegmonous appendicitis (n = 300), lymphoid hyperplasia (n = 274), perforated appendicitis (n = 181), appendix vermiformis (n = 50), gangrenous appendicitis (n = 3), and abnormal findings (n = 48). Of the 48 patients who were detected to have unusual findings, 32 were women and 16 were men and their ages ranged from 6 to 17 years. The frequency of unusual histopathological findings were as follows: Enterobius vermicularis (n = 37), fibrous obliteration (n = 6), neuroendocrine tumor (n = 2), mucinous neoplasm (n = 1), pseudodivericulitis (n = 1), and foreign body in the lumen (n = 1). No tumor recurrence or distant metastasis developed during the 2-year follow-up in any of the three patients detected to have a tumor. Even if the appendectomy specimen is normal during the surgery, histopathologic evaluation is necessary for the diagnosis of diseases that require treatment and follow-up after surgery.