UNASSIGNED: Acute appendicitis is a complex diagnosis that often requires both clinical and radiological evaluation. Significant variations in diagnostic approaches are evident among clinicians and healthcare institutions. While certain guidelines advocate for risk stratification based on clinical characteristics, others emphasize the importance of pre-operative imaging. This study seeks to explore the accuracy of the Alvarado Score and abdominal ultrasound (AUS) in diagnosing acute appendicitis.
UNASSIGNED: Suspected cases of appendicitis admitted to Al-Thora Hospital in Ibb, Yemen, from Jan 2021 to July 2022 were evaluated. The demographics, clinical, and laboratory data were collected and analyzed. This study assessed Alvarado scores (calculated based on clinical evaluation and laboratory data) and pre-operative AUS findings, correlating them with post-operative and histopathology findings. The Alvarado scores and AUS sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed using the ROC curve.
UNASSIGNED: Out of 1021 cases of acute abdomen, 171 patients were suspected of appendicitis. Using AUS along with the Alvarado score, appendicitis was presumed in 137 patients who underwent appendectomy. 130 (94.9%) patients had positive intraoperative and histopathology findings while 7 (5.1%) had negative findings. The Alvarado Score had a sensitivity and specificity of 94.62% and 87.80% at cutoffs of 6, respectively [Area under the curve (AUC): 0.985; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.954 to 0.998; p < 0.0001]. Abdominal US showed a sensitivity of 98.46% and specificity of 82.93% (AUC:0.907; 95% CI, 0.853 to 0.946; p < 0.0001).
UNASSIGNED: Alvarado\'s score and AUS exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing acute appendicitis. The substantial accuracy and efficacy of both the Alvarado score and AUS support their utilization as primary investigative tools in resource-limited settings. This approach can help avoid unnecessary appendectomies and minimize the financial burden on patients.
Acute appendicitis poses a diagnostic challenge, with a high rate of false-positive cases identified post-operatively. Computed tomography has been recommended by several surgical societies; however, it is limited by unaffordability and unavailability. Herein, we utilized the Alvarado score along with abdominal ultrasound as an alternative accurate, and cost-effective diagnostic approach. In this study, the negative appendectomy rate was 5.1%. The sensitivity of abdominal ultrasound in detecting appendicitis was 98.5%, with a specificity of 82.9%. The positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were determined to be 94.8%, 94.4%, and 94.7%, respectively. The mean Alvarado score was 6.9±2.4, with a sensitivity and specificity of 97.81% and 97.06% at cutoffs of 6, respectively. The area under the curve values of the ROC curve for Alvarado’s and abdominal ultrasound were 0.985 (95% CI, 0.954 to 0.998) and (AUC:0.907; 95% CI, 0.853 to 0.946), which was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).

Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain requiring surgical intervention; however, it is extremely rare in infants. Its diagnosis and treatment are challenging due to nonspecific clinical signs and symptoms. As a result, delayed or missed diagnosis is common in young children and is associated with an increased risk of perforation and peritonitis. We reported a case of a 4-month-old healthy male child. The patient presented with abdominal distention and fever. After ruling out other possible causes, he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis, which was confirmed by a CT scan. A gangrenous appendix, dilated bowel loops, and free fluid in the abdomen were discovered during surgery. An appendectomy was performed. The appendix in infants has an average length of 4.5 cm compared with 9.5 cm in adults. Infantile appendicitis is considered rare but cases have been documented also in neonates, misdiagnosis rates are high due to rarity in this age group in addition to nonspecific signs and symptoms, which led to a high perforation rate. Ultrasonography can diagnose appendicitis in children with a sensitivity and specificity of 90%-95% without subjecting the child to radiation. A physician should always keep the diagnosis of appendicitis in mind in the infant age group, even though it is rare, as a delay in diagnosis and treatment has been associated with an increased risk of complications including appendicular perforation and peritonitis.

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is a viral illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus that typically manifests with pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, and fatigue. In rare cases, IM can cause acute appendicitis. We present the case of an 18-year-old female who arrived at the emergency department with worsening abdominal pain and an ongoing cough. Initial imaging showed a questionably dilated appendix, and a follow-up examination revealed cervical lymphadenopathy. She later returned to the ED with severe abdominal pain, clinical signs of acute appendicitis, and a positive monospot test, which led to an appendectomy. This case illustrates the need for complete history taking and thorough physical examination in patients with acute appendicitis, as their condition may be due to an atypical underlying cause.

As the first part of an update to the clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and management of complicated intra-abdominal infections in adults, children, and pregnant people, developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the panel presents twenty-one updated recommendations. These recommendations span risk assessment, diagnostic imaging, and microbiological evaluation. The panel\'s recommendations are based upon evidence derived from systematic literature reviews and adhere to a standardized methodology for rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendation according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to find statistically valid criteria to preoperatively divide acute appendicitis into simple and complicated to enable surgeons to administer the most appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis/therapy before surgery.
METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of patients who underwent appendectomy from January 2022 to December 2023. Patients included were 0-14 years of age. Exclusion criteria included patients who underwent interval appendectomy or concurrent procedures at the same time of appendectomy. We divided patients into two groups: simple (group S) and complicated (group C) appendicitis according to intraoperative finding. Generalized linear model (GLM) with logit function was developed to identify the predictive variables of the type of appendicitis (S vs C) in terms of CRP value, neutrophils percentage and WBC count adjusted for age and sex of patients. Finally, principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out to identify the cutoff value of statistically significant variables found in the previous analysis.
RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients were eligible (N female = 49, N male = 71) for the study. 74 and 46 patients were included in groups S and C, respectively. In a preliminary analysis using univariate and multivariate GLM, only CRP (p value =  < 0.001) and neutrophils percentage (p value = 0.02) were predictive variables for the type of appendicitis. The GLM shows a statistical lower value of CRP (adjusted odds ratio [OR] per unit, 0.17 [95% CI, 0.08-0.39]) and neutrophil percentage (adjusted OR per unit, 0.37 [95% CI, 0.16-0.86]) in the S group compared to C adjusted to age and sex. PCA analysis revealed a P-ROC cutoff of 4.2 mg/dl and 80.1 of CRP value (AUC = 84%) and neutrophil percentage (AUC = 70%), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: We will perform a prospective study giving preoperative prophylactic cefazolin to patients with a CRP value under 4.2 mg/dl and amoxicillin-clavulanate therapy to patient with CRP value over 4.2 mg/dl.

Acute appendicitis is the most common non-obstetric reason for exploratory laparotomy during pregnancy. This case report involves a primigravida patient who presented to the emergency department of the General Hospital of Trikala at 15 weeks of gestation due to diffuse abdominal pain, primarily in the epigastric region. She also reported watery bowel movements. The ongoing atypical clinical symptoms, along with elevated inflammatory markers, strongly indicated a diagnosis of acute appendicitis. An immediate exploratory laparotomy was performed, during which acute localized inflammation of the appendix was found, leading to an appendectomy. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The patient reported pain relief immediately after the surgery. On the fourth postoperative day, she was discharged without any signs of a threatened second-trimester miscarriage. At 39 gestational weeks, she delivered by elective cesarean section due to breech presentation. This paper discusses the case and highlights the significant challenges in the early diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis during pregnancy, emphasizing the importance of preventing potentially life-threatening complications for both the mother and the fetus.

Objectives-The objective was to compare the effectiveness of observation in standard-of-care computed tomography (CT) in adult patients with suspected acute appendicitis (AA). Methods-Patients with clinically suspected AA and inconclusive diagnosis after primary clinical examination, laboratory examination, and transabdominal ultrasound (TUS) were eligible for the study, and they were randomized (1:1) to parallel groups: observation-group patients were observed for 8-12 h and then, repeated clinical and laboratory examinations and TUS were performed; CT group (control group) patients underwent abdominopelvic CT scan. The study utilized Statistical Analysis System 9.2 for data analysis, including tests, logistic regression, ROC analysis, and significance evaluation. Patients were enrolled in the study at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos in Lithuania between December 2018 and June 2021. Results-A total of 160 patients (59 men, 101 women), with a mean age of 33.7 ± 14.71, were included, with 80 patients in each group. Observation resulted in a reduced likelihood of a CT scan compared with the CT group (36.3% vs. 100% p < 0.05). One diagnostic laparoscopy was performed in the observation group; there were no cases of negative appendectomy (NA) in the CT group. Both conditional CT and observation pathways resulted in high sensitivity and specificity (97.7% and 94.6% vs. 96.7% and 95.8%). Conclusions-Observation including the repeated evaluation of laboratory results and TUS significantly reduces the number of CT scans without increasing NA numbers or the number of complicated cases.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical, pathological, and surgical characteristics of acute appendicitis (AA) at the University Hospital Centre (UHC) Zagreb.
METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed demographic, clinical, and surgical data from consecutive AA patients. Data were collected from an electronic database for two periods: 1 January to 31 December 2019 (pre-COVID-19), and 11 March 2020, to 11 March 2021 (COVID-19 pandemic).
RESULTS: During the two study periods, 855 appendectomies were performed, 427 in the pre-pandemic, and 428 during the pandemic. Demographic data were comparable between groups. There was statistically no significant difference in the type of appendectomy (p = 0.33) and the median hospital length of stay (3; (2-5) days, p = 0.08). There was an increase in the conversion rate during the pandemic period (4.2% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.03). The negative appendectomy rate and the incidence of perforated AA did not differ significantly (p = 0.34 for both).
CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe a significant increase in the rate of AA complications during the COVID-19 pandemic at the UHC Zagreb. This may be attributed to two factors: (1) AA was diagnosed and treated as an emergency, which remained available during the pandemic, and (2) diagnostic and therapeutic protocols remained unaltered. We recommend a laparoscopic approach even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency in pregnant women. There has been a wide variance in clinical practice worldwide, with some favoring an antibiotic-only approach while others prefer surgery as the first-line management. Therefore, we designed the current analysis to synthesize the available evidence on the efficacy and safety of antibiotics versus surgery management. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, EuropePMC, and Cochrane Central from March 4, 1904 until November 25, 2022, to look for studies comparing antibiotics and surgery in pregnant patients with acute appendicitis. We only included studies that provided a comparison between the two treatments. We included preterm delivery, fetal loss, maternal death, and complications as outcomes. The results were compared using an odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. We also performed a sensitivity analysis by excluding studies with a serious risk of bias. Results: We included five non-randomized studies for the analysis. We found that patients in the antibiotic group had a lower risk of preterm labor (OR 0.63 [95% CI 0.43-0.92]; p 0.02) but a higher risk of complications (OR 1.79 [95% CI 1.19-2.69]; p 0.005). We did not find any difference in the other outcomes. Conclusion: The increased risk of complications should caution clinicians about using antibiotics as the first-line management. More studies are required to identify patients who would benefit the most before antibiotics could be adopted as a treatment for acute appendicitis in pregnant patients.

Background: The role of Enterobius vermicularis infestation in the context of appendicitis is largely overlooked, but Enterobius vermicularis is considered an unexpected and significant appendicectomy finding. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of Enterobius vermicularis findings in appendectomies and to evaluate the clinical and histopathologic features of patients with Enterobius vermicularis-associated acute appendicitis and those with appendiceal Enterobius vermicularis infestation. Methods: The medical records of all children who underwent an appendectomy in two large pediatric centers in Croatia between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. Of 6359 appendectomies, 61 (0.96%) children were diagnosed with Enterobius vermicularis on histopathology and included in further analysis. The groups were compared with regard to demographic characteristics, laboratory values, clinical features and histopathological findings. Results: The incidence of enterobiasis fluctuated slightly in the individual study years, but was constant overall. The median age of all patients was 11 years (IQR 8.5, 13), with females predominating (60.7%). Acute appendicitis was observed in 34% of the appendiceal species. The patients with Enterobius vermicularis infestation, without appendicitis, were younger (9 years (IQR 8, 13) vs. 12 years (IQR 10, 15); p = 0.020), had longer duration of symptoms (36 h (IQR, 12, 48) vs. 24 h (IQR, 12, 36); p = 0.034), lower body temperature (37 °C (IQR 36.8, 37.4) vs. 37.6 °C (IQR, 37, 38.6) p = 0.012), lower Appendicitis Inflammation Response (AIR) score (3 (IQR 2, 5) vs. 7 (IQR 5, 9.5) p < 0.001), lower incidence of rebound tenderness (57.1% vs. 20%; p = 0.003) and less frequent vomiting (12.5% vs. 47.6%; p = 0.004) compared to the patients with Enterobius vermicularis-associated acute appendicitis. Acute inflammatory markers in the laboratory showed significantly higher values in the group of patients with acute appendicitis: C-reactive protein (p = 0.009), White blood cells (p = 0.001) and neutrophils (p < 0.001). Eosinophilia was not found in any of the groups, although eosinophil counts were significantly higher in children who had Enterobius vermicularis infestation than in those with Enterobius vermicularis-related appendicitis (2.5% (IQR 0.9, 4.3) vs. 1.8% (IQR 0.7, 2.1); p = 0.040). Conclusions: Pediatric surgeons should consider Enterobius vermicularis infestation as a differential diagnosis when removing a vermiform appendix. Younger age, longer duration of symptoms, lower body temperature, lower AIR score, lower diameter of the appendix and normal laboratory inflammatory markers could predict Enterobius vermicularis infection in children presenting with right iliac fossa pain and avoid unnecessary appendectomy.