Unusual findings in appendectomy specimens of adults: retrospective analyses of 1466 patients and a review of literature.
BACKGROUND
Diseases and tumors of the appendix vermiformis are very rare, except acute appendicitis.


OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study was conducted to document the unusual findings in appendectomy specimens.


METHODS
Data of 1466 adult patients were gathered retrospectively. Appendectomy was performed in 1169 and in 297 patients following a diagnosis of acute appendicitis and during other abdominal operations, respectively. The data of 57 (3.88 %) patients who were pathologically reported to have unusual appendix findings were retrospectively collected. The records were analyzed according to patients' age, gender, clinical presentations, operative reports, pathological reports and follow up.


RESULTS
Unusual pathologic examination findings were detected in the appendectomy specimens of 57 patients with a mean age of 48.34 ± 19. Twenty-nine patients (50.8 %) were male and 28 (49.2 %) were female. Normal appendix tissues were observed in specimens of 26 (45.6 %) patients and inflamed appendix in 31 (54.3 %). The most common unusual finding was parasitic diseases of the intestine. Pathological diagnosis of malignancy and benign features were reported in specimens of 14 and 43 patients, respectively. Macroscopic evaluation of appendectomy specimens during surgery might result in negligence of the presence of unusual pathology.


CONCLUSIONS
Even if the macroscopic appearance of the specimen is normal or acute appendicitis, we suggest routine histopathological examination.
Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Hakan
H
Yabanoglu
Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Kenan
K
Caliskan
Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Huseyin
H
Ozgur Aytac
Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Emin
E
Turk
Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Erdal
E
Karagulle
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Fazilet
F
Kayaselcuk
Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Mehmet
M
Akin Tarim
Appendectomy; Appendiceal Neoplasms; Entamoeba Histolytica; Enterobius