PROBLEMS OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS DIAGNOSTICS AND SURGICAL TREATMENT
Authors: Churpiy V. K. , Churpiy K. L. 
Published: October 2021

Acute appendicitis is a "chameleon disease" that requires in many cases a complex differential diagnosis. Inflammation of the appendix is one of the most common surgical diseases. Difficulties in the verification of acute appendicitis, the severity of complications associated with late diagnosis indicate that the problems of diagnosis and treatment of this pathology has not lost its relevance. The most difficult question for the surgeon is to diagnose acute appendicitis in time and carry out surgical treatment, prevent all possible complications and minimize the frequency of removal of the unaltered appendix.

The aim of the study to determine and systematize the causes of difficulties in diagnosing acute appendicitis at the preoperative stage.

A retrospective analysis of 586 medical records of inpatients who were treated in the surgical department was performed. Among the operated 511 (87.2%) patients, the diagnosis of acute appendicitis before and after surgery coincided, which was confirmed morphologically. In 75 cases, which is 12.8%, the diagnosis of acute appendicitis had atypical symptoms or was masked by the clinic of another pathology.

Observations of atypical cases of acute appendicitis in combination with other pathologies were the following diseases that occurred under the clinic signs, or combined with them: perforation of the small intestine with fish bone - 4 cases; perforation of Meckel's diverticulum - 2. In one case perforation by a fish bone, in another inflammation with its perforation.

- terminal ileitis - 1; torsion and necrosis of the fatty suspension of the elongated sigmoid colon - 2; perforation of the diverticulum of the elongated sigmoid colon - 1, rupture of the ovarian cyst - 9 cases, including two children 13 and 17 years; piosalpinx - 2, 1 case of combination of acute calculous cholecystitis with gangrenous appendicitis, which was detected during the audit of the abdominal cavity; inflammatory infiltrate of the omentum - 3; torsion and gangrene of the omentum - 2, a combination of acute appendicitis with omentitis - 8 cases; combination of acute appendicitis with mesoadenitis - 39 cases; rupture of the spleen - 1.

Conclusions:

Under the clinic of acute appendicitis or in combination with it other acute diseases of the abdominal cavity can mask, up to 12.8%, which are difficult or in some cases impossible to diagnose in the preoperative period.

One of the reasons for the difficulties of diagnosis is the omission by patients of anamnesis data regarding the onset and course of the disease, as well as alcohol consumption.

Difficulties in diagnosis occur in children, especially young people, which is 61.3% of cases.

The combination of acute appendicitis with mesoadenitis was observed in 6.6%. Among these patients, acetonemic syndrome was observed in 87.2% of cases. This group of patients is dominated by children.

Gynecological diseases are disguised under the clinic of acute appendicitis in 1.9%, which requires a joint examination by a surgeon and obstetrician-gynecologist of patients with suspected acute appendicitis in the preoperative period.

Deciding on surgical treatment for suspected acute appendicitis is a clinic of acute peritonitis, which was observed in 63.3%, requires proper clinical thinking of the surgeon combined with experience, laboratory and instrumental examination.