Open AccessDeciduosis of the appendix: a rare cause of acute abdomen during pregnancy: a case report
Author(s) -
Louis Smits,
Mieke Van Bockstal,
Julie Frezin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the pan african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.287
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1937-8688
DOI - 10.11604/pamj.2020.37.316.26728
Subject(s) - medicine , appendix , presentation (obstetrics) , appendicitis , acute abdomen , histopathological examination , pregnancy , acute appendicitis , decidua , ectopic pregnancy , general surgery , surgical emergency , abdomen , surgery , obstetrics , pathology , fetus , placenta , paleontology , genetics , biology
Appendectomy is the most common non-obstetric surgical intervention in pregnant patients. In rare cases, deciduosis can develop during pregnancy in the appendix and cause inflammation through appendiceal occlusion by ectopic decidua tissue. We report a 28-year-old woman at 32 weeks of pregnancy, who presented at the emergency room with the diagnosis of an acute appendicitis. After successful appendectomy and histopathological examination of the appendectomy specimen, a diagnosis of appendiceal deciduosis with acute appendicitis was established. Here, we discuss the origin of appendiceal deciduosis, as well as its clinical and histopathological presentation.