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Acute Appendicitis in Pregnancy
Author(s) -
McGee Therese M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.1989.tb01773.x
Subject(s) - medicine , appendicitis , laparotomy , acute appendicitis , pregnancy , general surgery , obstetrics , maxim , disease , intensive care medicine , surgery , genetics , biology , political science , law
Summary: Acute appendicitis is the commonest nongynaecological surgical problem occurring during pregnancy. Almost 10 year's experience at a large teaching hospital is supplemented with an extensive review of the literature to offer guidelines for diagnosis and management. Symptoms, signs and investigations are unhelpful in diagnosis. The overwhelming message is that because perinatal mortality rises from less than 3% in both uncomplicated appendicitis and negative laparotomy, to 20% in perforated disease, the maxim regarding acute appendicitis — if in doubt, take it out — is never more true than in pregnancy.