Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Consequences of removal of a “normal” appendix

1983; Wiley; Volume: 1; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5694/j.1326-5377.1983.tb99414.x

1326-5377

Ian Gough, Mark I. Morris, Eric I. Pertnikovs, Michael R. Murray, Michael B. Smith, Mark S. Bestmann,

Intestinal Malrotation and Obstruction Disorders

Five hundred consecutive cases of appendicectomy were reviewed. The incidence of non-inflamed appendices removed at operation was 29.6% and was nearly twice as high in females than in males (P< 0.001). The incidence of perforated appendices in patients with acute appendicitis was low (6.5%), and there were no deaths. Postoperative complications, mostly infections, occurred in 6.7% of patients with a non-inflamed appendix and in 19.3% of patients with appendicitis (P< 0.001). No features of the history or examination were sufficiently discriminatory to enable a definite diagnosis to be reliably established before operation. Appendicectomy remains the safest management option in patients with suspected appendicitis in whom diagnostic doubt remains after thorough clinical evaluation and observation.