title: A case series of 46 appendectomies during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Among appendicitis patients pregnant ones occupy only a small proportion. Still there are difficulties in the diagnosis and management of the acute appendicitis in pregnant population. We tried to find answers to these difficulties with our acute appendicitis cases in pregnant patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study involved 46 pregnant patients who received an operation following diagnosis of acute appendicitis in our clinic from 2006 to 2009. Data were collected retrospectively from medical records. Age, time delay to diagnosis, leukocyte count (WBC), gestational age, gestational history, morbidity-mortality and pathology results were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients, gestational age and number of prior pregnancies were 26, 21 and 2.6, respectively. The amount of time spent in the hospital, from presentation of first symptom to admission, was approximately 40 hours (range 6-120). The mean time from admission to operation was 5.89 (range 1-32) hours. The perforation rate among our cases was 21%. The negative appendectomy rate was 13%. The perforation rate was associated with advanced gestational age and delayed admission to the hospital (p ≤ 0.001 and p = 0.027, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis of appendicitis in pregnancy is difficult, and the perforation rate is high. Particularly in term pregnancies, we recommend performing appendectomy immediately after cesarean section.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alpaslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terzi
authors.forename: Fahrettin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vural
authors.forename: Sacit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coban
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cece
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology