Routine Histopathological Examination of Appendix. The Practice That Cannot Be Ignored.

Abstract

Background: Acute appendicitis is a global disease that is usually caused by luminal obstruction with fecoliths. Aim: The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence of unusual findings in appendectomy specimens that can affect patient’s morbidity and mortality. Methods and Material: This is a retrospective study of 340 appendectomies that were preformed from January 2018 to December 2019 at King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH). Histopathological reports were reviewed and final diagnosis, age and gender were recorded. Results: Of the 340 appendectomy specimens, acute appendicitis was the most prevalent finding 62.64% (and showed significant correlation with both genders P value <0.001). Unusual findings were seen in (8.49%) cases and the commonest unexpected finding was fibrous obliteration (4.11%) followed by carcinoid (1.76%). Conclusions: this study revealed that although majority of appendicectomy cases fall in the spectrum of inflammatory cases with low incidence of unusual findings, it is atmost importance to perform the histopathological examination as it still change the course of treatment and affect the overall prognosis of the patients. Key words: Acute appendicitis, Acute abdomen, Appendix, Histopathology, Unusual findings.