Investigation of the Risk , Clinical Presentation , Management and Outcomes of Acute Appendicitis in Pregnancy

Introduction: Appendicitis is one of the most common surgical problems in pregnancy, but it does not occur more often in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women.The aim of the present study was to investigate the Risk of Acute Appendicitis in Pregnancy in india. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 20 pregnant women out of which 15 pregnant women underwent operation after the diagnosis of appendicitis and 3 were treated conservatively. All the 5 patients were diagnosed as appendicitis in first trimester at the department of general surgery. The following data were analysed: age, gestational age, signs and symptoms on presentation, duration of symptoms, physical findings, laboratory parameters, ultrasonography, diagnostic modalities, duration of time to operation from admission, surgical findings, histological diagnosis, maternal morbidity and maternal and fetal mortality. Result: In 15 cases (75%) the history of Pain did not exceed 1day whereas 5 patients (25%) presented with symptoms of longer than 2days duration. The most common complaints were abdominal pain in right lumbar and hypochondriac region (100%), nausea and vomiting (880%) and fever (86%), The most common physical findings on initial physical examination were abdominal tenderness (90%). Conclusion: Delay of surgery correlates to more advanced disease with an increased risk of appendiceal perforation. This, in turn, contributes to an increased risk of further complications including premature labor or abortion, and to higher maternal complication rates. Prompt diagnosis may improve the prenatal outcome.