Appendicitis in Pregnancy: A Post-Hoc Analysis of an EAST Multicenter Study

CAR/CETARS/CSAR Practice Guideline on Imaging the Adult Patient With Right Lower Quadrant Pain

In 2023, the Canadian Society of Abdominal Radiology (CSAR) and Canadian Emergency, Trauma, and Acute Care Radiology Society (CETARS) received Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) member feedback that there was an unmet educational need for guidance in the imaging investigation of right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain. Members requested specific guidance on how to handle controversial scenarios including which test to order when, specifics of imaging protocols, and managing pregnant patients who have RLQ pain-all from a Canadian perspective. After conducting an exhaustive literature review, the working group agreed that a Canadian-specific set of guidelines was warranted. The management recommendations presented in this guideline were discussed as a group to achieve expert consensus. As the workup for RLQ pain can vary considerably in the paediatric population, the scope of this paper was restricted to adults (18 years of age or older). Whenever possible, the best evidence was used to inform the clinical guidance, and where gaps existed, the guidelines reflect consensus among experts in the field. The result is a framework to aid in this process of managing patients with RLQ pain across various clinical scenarios while addressing current questions and controversies, particularly those most relevant to the Canadian healthcare system.

Management for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis During Pregnancy: National Trends and Patient Outcomes

OBJECTIVE

This study analyzes national trends in the management of uncomplicated appendicitis during pregnancy, comparing outcomes for nonoperative management (NOM) and appendectomy.

BACKGROUND

In the nonpregnant population, several randomized controlled trials demonstrated noninferiority of NOM compared with appendectomy for acute uncomplicated appendicitis. However, it remains unclear whether these findings are generalizable to pregnant patients.

METHODS

The National Inpatient Sample was queried for pregnant women diagnosed with acute uncomplicated appendicitis from January 2003 to September 2015. Patients were categorized by treatment: NOM, laparoscopic appendectomy (LA), and open appendectomy. A quasi-experimental analysis with interrupted time series examined the relationship between the year of admission and the likelihood of receiving NOM. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between treatment strategy and patient outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 33,120 women satisfied the inclusion criteria. Respectively, 1070 (3.2%), 18,736 (56.6%), and 13,314 (40.2%) underwent NOM, LA, and open appendectomy. The NOM rate significantly increased between 2006 and 2015, with an annual increase of 13.9% (95% CI, 8.5-19.4, P <0.001). Compared with LA, NOM was significantly associated with higher rates of preterm abortion (odds ratio [OR]: 3.057, 95% CI, 2.210-4.229, P <0.001) and preterm labor/delivery (OR: 3.186, 95% CI, 2.326-4.365, P <0.001). Each day of delay to appendectomy was associated with significantly greater rates of preterm abortion (OR: 1.210, 95% CI, 1.123-1.303, P <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although NOM has been increasing as a treatment for pregnant patients with uncomplicated appendicitis, compared with LA, it is associated with worse clinical outcomes.

Antibiotic versus surgery in the treatment of acute appendicitis in the pregnant population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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.

Development of a nomogram for the prediction of complicated appendicitis during pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Complicated appendicitis during pregnancy directly affects the clinical prognosis of both mother and fetus. However, accurate identification of complicated appendicitis in pregnancy is fraught with various challenges. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors and to develop a useful nomogram to predict complicated appendicitis during pregnancy.

METHODS

This retrospective study involved pregnant women who underwent appendectomy at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Provincial from May 2016 to May 2022 and who ultimately had histopathological confirmed acute appendicitis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied to analyze clinical parameters and imaging features as a way to identify risk factors. Then, nomogram and scoring systems predicting complicated appendicitis in pregnancy were constructed and evaluated. Finally, the potential non-linear association between risk factors and complicated appendicitis was analyzed using restricted cubic splines.

RESULTS

Three indicators were finally identified for the construction of the nomogram: gestational weeks, C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil percentage (NEUT%). To improve the clinical utility, the gestational weeks were divided into three periods (first trimesters, second trimesters, and third trimesters), while the optimal cut-offs for CRP level and NEUT% were found to be 34.82 mg/L and 85.35%, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that third trimesters (P = 0.013, OR = 16.81), CRP level ≥ 34.82 mg/L (P = 0.007, OR = 6.24) and NEUT% ≥85.35% (P = 0.011, OR = 18.05) were independent risk factors for complicated appendicitis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the nomogram predicting complicated appendicitis in pregnancy was 0.872 (95% CI: 0.803-0.942). In addition, the model was shown to have excellent predictive performance by plotting calibration plots, Decision Curve Analysis (DCA), and clinical impact curves. When the optimal cut-off point of the scoring system was set at 12, the corresponding AUC, sensitivity, specificity, Positive Likelihood Ratio (PLR), Negative Likelihood Ratio (NLR), Positive Predictive Value (PPV), and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) values were AUC: 0.869(95% CI: 0.799-0.939),100%, 58.60%, 2.41, 0, 42%, and 100%, respectively. The restricted cubic splines revealed a linear relationship between these predictors and complicated appendicitis during pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

The nomogram utilizes a minimum number of variables to develop an optimal predictive model. Using this model, the risk of developing complicated appendicitis in individual patients can be determined so that reasonable treatment choices can be made.

A critical appraisal on the treatment of acute appendicitis in pediatric population during the COVID-19 pandemic

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of abdominal pain in children. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a delay in presentation to the emergency department and a higher rate of complicated appendicitis were observed. Traditionally, operative management (laparoscopic or open appendectomy) was thought to be the best treatment strategy for acute appendicitis. However, nonoperative management with antibiotics has gained popularity in managing pediatric appendicitis during the COVID-19 era. The pandemic has posed significant challenges in the management of acute appendicitis. Cancellation of elective appendectomies, delay in seeking care due to fear of contracting COVID-19 infection, and impact of COVID-19 infection in the pediatric population have resulted in higher rates of complications. Furthermore, multiple studies have reported multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children mimicking acute appendicitis, subjecting patients to unnecessary surgery. Therefore, it is imperative to update the treatment guidelines for the management of acute appendicitis in the pediatric population during and after COVID-19 times.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Right Lower Quadrant Pain: 2022 Update

This document focuses on imaging in the adult and pregnant populations with right lower quadrant (RLQ) abdominal pain, including patients with fever and leukocytosis. Appendicitis remains the most common surgical pathology responsible for RLQ abdominal pain in the United States. Other causes of RLQ pain include right colonic diverticulitis, ureteral stone, and infectious enterocolitis. Appropriate imaging in the diagnosis of appendicitis has resulted in decreased negative appendectomy rate from as high as 25% to approximately 1% to 3%. Contrast-enhanced CT remains the primary and most appropriate imaging modality to evaluate this patient population. MRI is approaching CT in sensitivity and specificity as this technology becomes more widely available and utilization increases. Unenhanced MRI and ultrasound remain the diagnostic procedures of choice in the pregnant patient. MRI and ultrasound continue to perform best in the hands of the experts. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer-reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances in which peer-reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

Management of Complicated Appendicitis During Pregnancy in the US

IMPORTANCE

Data are sparse regarding the optimal treatment for complicated appendicitis during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

To compare nonoperative and operative management in complicated appendicitis during pregnancy.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study was conducted using National Inpatient Sample data from between January 2003 and September 2015. This database approximates a 20% stratified sample of US inpatient hospital discharges. Included individuals were pregnant women discharged with the diagnosis of complicated appendicitis. Data were analyzed from February 2020 through February 2022.

EXPOSURES

Study patients were categorized into 3 groups: those with successful nonoperative management, failed nonoperative management with delayed operation, or immediate operation for complicated appendicitis.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Clinical outcomes, including maternal infectious complications and perinatal complications, hospital length of stay, and total hospital charges.

RESULTS

Among 8087 pregnant women with complicated appendicitis (median [IQR] age, 27 [22-32] years), nonoperative management of complicated appendicitis was successful among 954 patients (11.8%) and failed among 2646 patients (32.7%), who underwent delayed operation; 4487 patients (55.5%) underwent immediate operation. In multivariate analysis, successful nonoperative management was associated with higher odds of amniotic infection (odds ratio [OR], 4.35; 95% CI, 2.22-8.53; P < .001) and sepsis (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.10-2.11; P = .01) compared with immediate operation, while there was no significant difference in preterm delivery, preterm labor, or abortion. However, failed nonoperative management that required delayed operation was associated with higher odds of preterm delivery, preterm labor, or abortion compared with immediate operation (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.24-1.68; P < .001). Immediate operation was associated with decreased hospital charges compared with nonoperative management that was successful (regression coefficient [RC], 0.09; 95% CI, 0.07-0.11; P < .001) and that failed (RC, 0.12; 95% CI: 0.11-0.14; P < .001). In subgroup multivariate logistic regression analysis, each day in delay to surgery was associated with an increase in odds of preterm delivery, preterm labor, or abortion by 23% (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.18-1.29; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study found that immediate operation for complicated appendicitis in pregnant women was associated with lower odds of maternal infectious complications without higher odds of perinatal or other maternal complications compared with successful nonoperative management. Failed nonoperative management was associated with worse clinical outcomes.

Analysis of 190 Female Patients after Appendectomy

This study is a retrospective cohort review carried out at a single, private tertiary center. We included 190 female patients who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis between January 2016 and December 2018. Two groups of patients were analyzed based on the pregnancy. The main outcome measures were complication rate and risk of abortion during or after surgery. Out of 190 female patients, eight of them were pregnant (4.2%). The pregnant group more significantly underwent ultrasound investigation compared to the nonpregnant group. Complicated appendicitis present in two pregnant patients at advanced gestational age was not statistically significant from nonpregnant. Laparoscopic appendectomy was performed in 6/8 (75%) of pregnant compared to 158/182 (87%) in nonpregnant (p = 0.415). Compared to the nonpregnant, the pregnant group has a more fecolith, positive peritoneal fluid culture, and wound infection, with E. coli more frequently isolated in 25%. None of the pregnant patients had an abortion, preterm labor, or mortality during or after surgery. In conclusion, laparoscopic appendectomy is a low-risk operation for pregnant with acute appendicitis.

Laparoscopic treatment for appendicitis during pregnancy: Retrospective cohort study

Background

Acute appendicitis is the most frequent non-obstetric surgical emergency during pregnancy. The benefits of laparoscopy during pregnancy are well known, but complications can occur, and these can affect both the mother and/or the foetus.We present results of laparoscopic surgical treatment of acute appendicitis in pregnant women, analysing the occurrence of adverse postoperative, obstetric and foetal outcomes and reviewing literature.

Materials and methods

Retrospective observational study on pregnant women with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Results

n = 63, mean age 28.4 years, average gestational age of 17.7 weeks (3-30 weeks). 6.4 % exploratory laparoscopies, 92 % laparoscopic appendectomies and one right colectomy were performed. Conversion rate was 3.2 %. When symptoms begun within 48 hours prior to surgery, a perforated appendicitis was found in 11 %; whereas when the time from symptom onset to surgery was greater than or equal to 48 hours, it was evident in 31 % of the cases (p 0.008). The only independent variable associated with the presence of postoperative complications was symptom duration prior to surgery greater than or equal to 48 hours (OR 4.8; 95 % CI 1.1-16.2; p 0.04). Seven minor and 2 mayor postoperative complications were observed. Patients with complications spent, on average, twice as many days hospitalized (p < 0.001); and had 8 times more risk of preterm delivery (p 0.03). Obstetric complications were more frequent in pregnant women operated during the first trimester. Foetal mortality was 1.6 %.

Conclusion

Surgical morbidity of acute appendicitis in pregnant women is linked to the delay in the diagnosis and treatment of the inflammatory condition. Laparoscopic appendectomy during pregnancy is not exempt from postoperative, obstetric and foetal complications. It is necessary to standardize the definitions of "complication" in order to collate reliably the outcomes presented in the literature.

Clinical Outcomes of Acute Appendicitis During Pregnancy: Conservative Management and Appendectomy

PURPOSE

We have described the epidemiology, diagnostic modality, treatment patterns, and outcomes of acute appendicitis during pregnancy.

METHODS

Using a nationwide claim-based database in Japan, we analyzed the data of pregnant patients who were diagnosed with appendicitis between January 2005 and May 2019. Patient characteristics, imaging studies, length of hospital stay, proportion of fetal losses, complications, and type of antibiotics were examined.

RESULTS

The study included 169 patients, of whom 113 patients (67%) underwent conservative management, and appendectomies were performed on 56 patients (open 25% and laparoscopic 8%). The proportion of ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging were 97%, 17%, and 5% (for conservative management); 88%, 39%, and 13% (for appendectomy); 86%, 38%, and 21% (for open appendectomy); and 93%, 43%, and 14% (for laparoscopic appendectomy), respectively. The proportion of complicated appendicitis was 6% in conservative management and 41% in appendectomy (40% in open appendectomy and 43% in laparoscopic appendectomy), respectively. The incidence of fetal loss was 4% in conservative management, 5% in appendectomy (2% in open appendectomy, and 14% in laparoscopic appendectomy). However, there was only one fetal loss (in laparoscopic appendectomy) in the same case of hospitalization. There were no maternal deaths or serious complications after any treatment.

CONCLUSION

All treatments showed acceptable outcomes in appendicitis during pregnancy. Conservative management is considered an acceptable option, especially in uncomplicated cases of appendicitis in pregnant women.