DOES NEUTROPHIL TO LYMPHOCYTE RATIO PREDICT HOSPITAL STAY IN APPENDECTOMY PATIENTS?
BACKGROUND
We aimed to investigate the relationship between the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and postoperative length of hospital stay. In addition, the impact of radiological and histopathological findings on hospital stay was also evaluated.


METHODS
This is a retrospective study. One hundred three patients with appendicitis were in-cluded. The diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography and histopathological examination. Correlations between the length of hospital stay and age, gender, NLR, c-reactive peptide levels (CRP), the appendix diameter on CT or ultrasonogra-phy, appendix localisation and pathology reports were evaluated.


RESULTS
The length of hospital stay was not related to age or gender. The length of hospital stay after appendectomy was correlated with appendix diameter on CT and phlegmonous appendicitis, but it was not associated with NLR, CRP levels or the appendix diameter on ultrasonography.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study to evaluate the associa-tion between NLR levels and the length of hospital stay in patients with acute appendicitis. The NLR was not found to be associated with the length of hospital stay. The appendix di-ameter on CT and appendix pathology reports were correlated with the length of postopera-tive hospital stay in appendectomy patients.
1 Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Zulfu
Z
Bayhan
1 Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Sezgin
S
Zeren
2 Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14280 Bolu, Turkey.
Ertugrul
E
Kargi
1 Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Faik
F
Yaylak
3 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Mehmet
M
Korkmaz
3 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Bekir
B
Sanal
1 Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Bergis
B
Ucar
4 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Aysenur
A
Deger
4 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, 43020 Kutahya, Turkey.
Cengiz
C
Kocak
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, acute appendicitis, computed tomography, appendix diam-eter , length of stay