Management of acute appendicitis in pregnancy

BACKGROUND Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical non-obstetric pathology during pregnancy. In this report, pregnant patients operated with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the last three years are evaluated retrospectively. METHODS Between January 2009 and January 2011, 20 pregnant patients were operated for acute appendicitis. Patients were evaluated regarding age, gestational age, clinical and laboratory examinations, imaging studies, operative findings, mean hospital stay, mean operative time, and outcome. RESULTS In 17 of 20 patients, acute appendicitis was confirmed and appendectomy was performed. Ten of the patients were operated with laparoscopic technique and the remaining 10 had open appendectomy. There was no fetal or maternal morbidity or mortality in any patient. All 20 patients delivered healthy babies during the postoperative course. CONCLUSION Acute appendicitis is a challenging diagnosis in the pregnant patient; however, early surgical intervention should be performed with any suspicion. The type of surgery depends on the surgeon's preference and experience.