Usual and Unusual Pathologies of Appendicitis: A Retrospective Analysis of 385 Patients

Abstract

Purpose: Appendectomy is the most common abdominal surgery performed worldwide. In this report, we evaluated the results of pathological examinations of acute appendicitis specimens. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients operated on for acute appendicitis at our surgical department from 2009 to 2017. Data on age, gender, and pathological diagnostic parameters were analyzed. Results: A total of 385 patients (168 women [43.6%] and 217 men [56.4%]), were classified into acute appendicitis (Group 1), normal appendix (Group 2), and unusual pathological findings (Group 3) groups. The patients undergoing appendectomy were mostly in the 21–30 (n = 136, 35.3%) and 31–40 years (n = 118, 30.6%) age groups. The negative appendectomy rate was 4.4% in Group 2, and the proportion of women (70.6%) was significantly higher in that group than the other groups (p <0.05). In total, 24 (6.2%) patients had unexpected findings. Among the appendix tumors (n = 12 [3.1%]) in our series, low-grade mucinous neoplasm (n = 6, 1.6%) was the most common, followed by a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (n = 3, 0.8%).Conclusion: Although unusual pathological findings are rare during appendectomy, all appendectomy specimens should be sent for routine histopathological examination. The abnormal incidental findings of 24 cases in this series had a significant impact on management. Patients with rare abnormalities should be treated according to the results of their pathological reports.