- Email: [email protected]
Acute appendicitis in the obstetric patient
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS IN THE OBSTETRIC PATIENT* II. D. PRIDDLE, M.D., AND H. CLOSE HESSELTINE, M.D., CHICAGO, ILL. (From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of ‘Chicago and the
Chicago
Lying-in
Haspita/
J
T
HE proper care of obstetric patients necessitates, in addition to adequate knowledge of this specialt,y, diagnostic abilit,ies for the practice of general medicine and surgery. The surgical problems are many and varied. The majority of obstetric patients fall into the younger age group, and are thereby subject to surgical emergencies, one of which, acute appendicitis, many times requires skill to diagnose accurately and treat correctly. Acute appendicitis in pregnancy is peculiar in the fact that physical findings may be almost nil, especially after the first trimester. The changes in the anatomical position and direction of the appendix during pregnancy were well studied by Baer, Reis, and Arens.l They noted as a rule a gradual rise of the appendix toward the right upper quadrant as pregnancy progressed. It is self-evident then that with a change of position of an organ, new relationships, symptoms, and findings may be expected. Even so, there are many exceptions to this usual course. The appendix may be retrocecal. It may be in the false pelvis, behind the uterus, or hang downward into the true pelvis. A left side position must not be forgotten. These phenomona mask the physical findings of acute appendicitis, particularly after the fourth month. The blood in pregnancy is abnormal in that there is normally a slight increase in the white blood cells and an increase in sedimentation rate. This blood picture must be recognized. The various reports of acute appendicitis give lit,tle import t,o a moderate leucocytosis, but place emphasis upon an increasing white cell count. Wit,h uterine growth and displacement of t,he appendix, the differential diagnosis of pyelitis and appendicitis becomes more difficult. During pregnancy there is a physiological hydronephrosis, hydroureter, and urinary stasis, necessarily making the pregnant patient more susceptible to urological disease. The picture of appendicitis and acute pyelitis may be similar in the early stages before pyuria is present. The displacement of the appendix upward may give rise to tenderness and pain in the right flank and right upper quadrant. Progression of gestation leads to a protrusion of the abdominal wall, generalized loss of tone in the rectus muscles, especially in the multipara. Spasm and rigidity of the abdominal wall arc less likely to be found. Thus another physical finding has been lost to aid in diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The nausea with or without vomiting in t,he ea,rly months of gest,ation may give rise to confusion in the history. The persistence of vomiting may bring about spasm of the rectus muscles. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy or *Supported in part by the Chicago Lyine-in on Puerperal Fever.
Hospital
50th Anniversary
Research Fund
Volume Number
62
I
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS
IN THE
OBSTETRIC
PATIENT
151
hyperemesis are absent after the fourteenth to sixteenth week of pregnancy. After the fifth lunar month, the onset of nausea and vomiting is definitely pathological and is not due to the pregnancy. Material
The material for this study is composed only of those patients who had laparotomies because of diagnoses of appendicitis. All patients were seen in consultation by a senior member of the surgical staff of the University of Chicago Clinics. Since the opening of the Chicago Lying-in Hospital in 1931, there have been 41 cases in which patients underwent surgery with a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pregnancy or the early puerperium. There has not been one case of elective appendectomy during pregnancy for recurrent attacks of right lower quadrant pain. All of the patients reported herein were admitted because of acute attacks of abdominal pain which gave rise to tentative or positive diagnoses of acute appendicitis, In the series there are 19 patients under the age of 25 and all but 6 under 30 years of age. Of these 25, 20 were primigravidas. One patient who died had had five previous pregnancies. The number of cases is small in comparison to that in other reports. An explanation may be that the fact that this is a maternity center and not a general hospital may lead patients who have not arranged for prenatal care to seek medical attention in the emergency room or at a local hospital because of an attack of abdominal pain. The majority of our cases are recent, especially since 1941. The explanation for which we can only conjecture, unless, since our number of deliveries has increased, we could statistically expect a greater incidence. In five different years, i.e., 1932, 1933, 1936, 1938, and 1939, there were no eases of acute appendicitis in pregnancy or the early puerperium. Incidence.-The 41 cases in a period of nineteen years, during which time there were 59,403 mothers delivered from May, 1931, to March 31, 1950, represents an incidence of 0.069 per cent. Of these, only 26 carried a pathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis, a corrected incidence of 0.043 per cent. This is much lower than reports of Hoffman and Suzuki,* who had 0.106 per cent, or Mussey3 at the Mayo Clinic with 2.0 per cent. Baer and associates report an incidence of 0.17 per cent in 16,543 pregnancies. In this series there was only one maternal death which will be summarized later. SymptomatoZogy.-The variability of symptoms can be noted in Table I. The typical history of acute appendicitis is missing in many instances, for nausea and vomiting is a frequent finding in the first trimester and many times this symptom is thought to be related only to the gestation. The pain location however, was typically right lower quadrant in 65 per cent of the cases, which is a lower percentage than in nonpregnant patients, nevertheless significantly high enough to be used diagnostically. TABLE SYMPTOM
Anorexia Nausea Nausea and vomiting Location of pain.R.L.Q. Periumbilical Fever Chills Diarrhea
Dysuria
I.
SYMPTOMS
ON
ADMISSION
NO.CASES
2; 19 33 8 4 2
PERCENTAGE
10 43 37 65 16 9 4 10 12
An>. .J. Ohs.
& Gywc. .July. 1951
Abdominal Pindinys.-The growth of the uterus may distort the abdominal findings by displacement of the appendix, and confusion may be caused by the changes in t.he abdominal wall. The experience of the surgical and the obstet,nc staffs agrees upon these findings which we feel are adequate in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. Table II illustrates the findings, one or more of which nmy have occurred in t.he same patient. TABLE -. -
~~.~
---
..__
~--.-_ PHYSICAL
._..FIND,KG
Muwle spasrrl Right lower quadrant imdcmr~r Rebound tenderness Bikttmil lower quadrant tendwuess Right upper quadrant tendemms No findings
II ._____ NO. CASES
15 33 17 :< 1 1
-- ____~ __PERCENTAGE
__-.
XI 6.5 33 ti I> .I
TOW correct diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in 28 instances, and the original hut erroneous diagnosis was pvelitis in 4 cases, ectopic pregnancy in 2, twisted ovarian cyst in 3, gastroente;itis in 1, and, last, abdominal mass, etiology unknown, in 3. The primary diagnosis compares well with the pathological diagnosis in 26. %&orator!/ Findings.--The normal physiological leucocytosis necessitates using onlp a rising leurocytosis as a diagnostic sign. The normal leucocyte count during pregnancy ranges between 8,700 and 12,500 white blood cells per cubic millimeter, and 27 per cent of our cases fell within this range. The highest, count, was 22,500 in what was found to be, after surgery, a case of pyelitis. The patient who died had as the highest white blood count before surgery 14,200, and only 15,800 the third day postoperatively. Postoperatively, 50 per cent of the patients had no white cell count. above the usual range. Thus to IIS the laboratory findings during pregnancy are of less significance unless there is a definite rising leucocytosis wit,hin a few hours after the onset of symptoms. [email protected] admission temperat.ure was less than 38’ C. in 32 cases and in only 2 cases was the initial temperature 3’J” or above, Postoperatively, the temperatures in 23 cases were less than 38’ and likewise only 2 were 39O C., or above. ‘I’,.Pnt,,~cTc.t.--Thc 1jolic.y of this instil.ut.ion is that, when there is doubt of the tliagnosis of acute appendicitis, laparotomy is performed no matter what. The hospital admission of a.11patients in whom the duration of t,he gestation. the diagnosis of acute appendicitis cannot be ruled out definitely will reduce great I; the risk of peritonitis due to clelay. In perforation or abscess of the aI)pendis t tw ahdominal viscera do not wall off the inflammatory process properly because of’ the large vascular uterus which is freely movable and a periodically The uterus in t,urn appears to become irritated by the contracting structure. inflammation and proceeds to empty itself of the fetal contents. Observation of l)atient,s, without use of analgesics, in t.he hospital with frequent white blood counts, and with either a decrease or increase in abdominal pain, and/or changes If sympin abdominal findings uoted, for a short period of time, is imperative. toms and,/or signs progress, laparotomy is t,he procedure. By contrast it is a policy not. Taoperform elective appendectomies during pregnancy for the care of It is known that the more severe the acut,c so-called chronic appendicitis. Ilrorcss. the lower incidence of previous attacks; conversely, the patient, with chronic appendicitis has had previous atStacks in the majority of cases. The routine appendectomy (luring pregnancy for chronic appendicitis is neither
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS
IN
THE
OBSTETRIC
PATIENT
153
good surgical nor good obstetrical procedure. Even though the risk is slight, nevertheless, a definite risk exists in any surgical procedure. By contrast, the danger of delayed surgery in acute appendicitis in the gravid or recently delivered patient has been well established. Experience has shown that removal of the appendix is far safer. There are minimal hazards of premature labor or abortion because of the surgery. True, normal appendices will be removed occasionally but the grave consequence from an appendiceal rupture warrants the occasional laparotomy at which time a relatively normal appendix is extracted. Appendectomy was performed in 39 cases, in one of which the appendix had ruptured probably during labor. Drainage of appendiceal abscess was done in t,he other 2. The incision generally used was McBurney’s with or without Weir modification. Transverse incision was used in a very few cases in which the gest,ation was in the third trimester. The choice of incision must rest with the operator as each has it,s advantages. The preference for the McBurnev incision is that if perchance labor should ensue before complete healing, hern~ation or evisceration is less likely to occur. Postoperative complications were few. Pyelitis occurred in four patients. One patient developed subsequently a subphrenic abscess which required a second hospitalization and drainage. There was one instance of wound infection, and one paGent had a superficial thromboghlebitis. As a postoperative routine, the patient is placed on bed rest with a liberal sedation for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, then gradually her activities are increased. Progesterone has not been employed postoperatively. Antibiotics were used in only 13 cases and then prophylactically in all but 4. Crile4 has reported on the successful treatment of peritonitis with penicillin, and Kennedy and associates5 have had favorable results in 80 cases. It is possible that this therapy would be very beneficial in the gravid patient but as yet we have had no case for trial. Duration of Pregnancy.-Acute appendicitis occurred in approximately equal numbers in each trimester of gestation as shown in Table III. TABLE TRlMESTER
First Second Third Postpartum Total
-~
III NO.CASES
-
15 16 15 5 51
The policy of laparotomy when in doubt or of operation at any time during pregnancy has not brought about a great fetal loss. There were 2 instances in which premature labor ensued, one of which was in the early part of the last trimester and a viable premat,ure infant was delivered who died the second day. In the second instance, labor began in the latter part of the second trimester This to us changes the former thinking with delivery of a previable premature. that laparotomy in the first trimester will lead to abortion, which did not occur in any of our cases. Formerly, many obstetricians and surgeons would procrastinate when a possible diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in the first trimester, as abortion from exploration of the abdomen seemed a definite hazard. The 2 patients in whom premature labor did ensue, one thirty-six hours after surgery and the other the twenty-seventh day, had appendiceal abscesses, and thus had localized peritonitis at the time of surgery. Severe infections, and especially peritonitis, are known to predispose to premature labor or abortion. Thus one could have expected this course of events in both instances.
BBIBDLE
154
AND
Am. J. Obsr. & Gynec. July, 1951
HESSELTINE
Fetal mortality of 2 in 36 undelivered patients, or 6.6 per cent, is much lower than is usually found in the literature, or if we use 26 cases of acute appendicitis with 2 fetal losses we still have only an 8.8 per cent loss. Hoffman2 -reported a fetal loss in acute cases of 17.4 per cent or three times our incidence. The remainder of our patients went to term with no fetal deaths. Pathology.-The pathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in 24 cases, which excludes the 2 appendiceal abscess cases, or 47 per cent. There were 25 instances in which the removed appendix was normal histologically. In one case a twisted but nonpalpable dermoid cyst explained the symptom ; because of the obvious symptom the appendix was removed at the same time. Maternal Mortality.-There was one maternal death in our series which ocpurred in 1931. Briefly the history of the case is as follows : M. C. (Unit No. 4X91), a 32-year-old gravida vi, para v, was first seen Sept. 8, 1931, in the outpatient clinic, with a history of abdominal pain, tenderness, and nausea and vomiting for four days. She had been amenorrheic since April 26, 1931. The patient was admit,ted to the hospital immediately. Past previously.
history
revealed
that
she
had
had
two
episodes
similar
to
this
eight
years
The physical examination on admission revealed temperature of 99” F., pulse 120, respiration 207 and blood pressure 110/62 . There were tenderness, voluntary rigidity in t,he right upper quadrant, and an indefinite mass palpable in this same area. There was no tenderness over McBurney’s point. The uterus was at the level of the umbilicus. The various diagnoses made on admission were twisted ovarian cyst, retroperitoneal abscess, and hydrops of the gall bladder. Laboratory findings were a white blood count of 14,200 with 86 polymorphonuclear leucoeytes and 24 lymphocytes. The urine was negative. The patient was hydrated with normal saline and intravenous glucose and two days later under general anesthesia a laparotomy was performed and an abscess cavity was accidentally opened behind the ascending colon which contained 60 C.C. of purulent material. Two drains were inserted through the flanks. Postoperatively the patient was given intravenous for forty-eight hours. She recovered slowly and was operative day with abdominal wounds well healed.
fluids, discharged
and Wangensteen on the twenty-fifth
suction post-
Two days after discharge, she was admitted in active labor and after ten hours of labor delivered a 980.gram female infant that expired almost immediately. The placenta was sent to the pathology laboratory and a microscopic diagnosis of acute placentitis was made, Immediately after delivery the patient had a chill, temperature of 100.4” F., pulse of 120, and complained of right lower quadrant pain. Three days later, because of increased pain and tenderness in the right lower quadrant: a drain was inserted through the old wound and a great deal of purulent material This was on Oct. 10, 1931, and cultures from the material were reported as evacuated. Streptococcus. Chest film taken this day was normal. On Oct. 23, 1931, pelvic examination revealed a right pelvic mass extending upward under the cecal area. The pulse rate was 120. Four hundred C.C. of whole blood were given. Five days later, the pain and rigidity over the right side extended down into the femoral vessels. Five hundred cc. of whole blood were given intravenously. Again a pelvic examination was done on Nov. 9, 1931, and the mass was felt in the right side, described as being fluctuant and now about the level of the iliac crest. Temperature was cc. of titrated whole blood were given. 104” h’., pulse 150, respirations 28. Five hundred She was being maintained on intravenous fluids. The forty-first day after the second admission under local anesthesia a laparotomy was performed and a retroperitoneal abscess opened and two drains inserted. The patient’s condition became progressively worse and on Nov. 14, 1931, she died. Autopsy was denied.
Volume Number
62 I
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS
IN
THE
OBSTETRIC
155
PATIENT
Summary 1. A review of 51 cases in which a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made during pregnancy or the early puerperium with one maternal death and two fetal deaths is reported. The signs, symptoms, and physical findings were discussed. 2. The obstetrician must always be alert to the signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis in pregnancy and when in doubt it is best to operate no matter what the duration of the pregnancy. 3. Laparotrachelotomy at the time of removal of an appendix, with but very few exceptions, is violation of good surgical procedure, and should not be performed. 4. It is an acknowledged principle that elective appendectomy at the time of cesarean section or removal of an ectopic pregnancy increases the hazard of appendectomy. The authors express their appreciation to the members Department for their consultations, diagnoses, and surgery appreciation is offered to the following staff members: Drs. Dwight E. Clark, and J. Garratt Allen.
and residents over the many William Adams,
of the Surgery years. Special H. P. Jenkins,
References 1. Baer, Joseph L., 2. Hoffman, Edwin 3. Twyman, R. A., 484, 1940. 4. Crile, George, Jr.: 5. Kennedy, C. S.,
Reis, Ralph A., and Areq S., and Suzuki, Masamichi: Mussey, R. D., and Stalker, Am. J. Surg. 72: 859, 1946. McCadie, J. H., and Arminski,
Robert A.: J. A. M. A. 98: 1359, Grace Hosp. Bull. 26: 25, 1948. L. K.: Proc. Staff Meet., Mayo T. C.:
Grace
Hosp.
Bull.
25:
1932. Clin. 107,
15: 1947.
APPENDICITIS IN THE OBSTETRIC PATIENT* II. D. PRIDDLE, M.D., AND H. CLOSE HESSELTINE, M.D., CHICAGO, ILL. (From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of ‘Chicago and the
Chicago
Lying-in
Haspita/
J
T
HE proper care of obstetric patients necessitates, in addition to adequate knowledge of this specialt,y, diagnostic abilit,ies for the practice of general medicine and surgery. The surgical problems are many and varied. The majority of obstetric patients fall into the younger age group, and are thereby subject to surgical emergencies, one of which, acute appendicitis, many times requires skill to diagnose accurately and treat correctly. Acute appendicitis in pregnancy is peculiar in the fact that physical findings may be almost nil, especially after the first trimester. The changes in the anatomical position and direction of the appendix during pregnancy were well studied by Baer, Reis, and Arens.l They noted as a rule a gradual rise of the appendix toward the right upper quadrant as pregnancy progressed. It is self-evident then that with a change of position of an organ, new relationships, symptoms, and findings may be expected. Even so, there are many exceptions to this usual course. The appendix may be retrocecal. It may be in the false pelvis, behind the uterus, or hang downward into the true pelvis. A left side position must not be forgotten. These phenomona mask the physical findings of acute appendicitis, particularly after the fourth month. The blood in pregnancy is abnormal in that there is normally a slight increase in the white blood cells and an increase in sedimentation rate. This blood picture must be recognized. The various reports of acute appendicitis give lit,tle import t,o a moderate leucocytosis, but place emphasis upon an increasing white cell count. Wit,h uterine growth and displacement of t,he appendix, the differential diagnosis of pyelitis and appendicitis becomes more difficult. During pregnancy there is a physiological hydronephrosis, hydroureter, and urinary stasis, necessarily making the pregnant patient more susceptible to urological disease. The picture of appendicitis and acute pyelitis may be similar in the early stages before pyuria is present. The displacement of the appendix upward may give rise to tenderness and pain in the right flank and right upper quadrant. Progression of gestation leads to a protrusion of the abdominal wall, generalized loss of tone in the rectus muscles, especially in the multipara. Spasm and rigidity of the abdominal wall arc less likely to be found. Thus another physical finding has been lost to aid in diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The nausea with or without vomiting in t,he ea,rly months of gest,ation may give rise to confusion in the history. The persistence of vomiting may bring about spasm of the rectus muscles. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy or *Supported in part by the Chicago Lyine-in on Puerperal Fever.
Hospital
50th Anniversary
Research Fund
Volume Number
62
I
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS
IN THE
OBSTETRIC
PATIENT
151
hyperemesis are absent after the fourteenth to sixteenth week of pregnancy. After the fifth lunar month, the onset of nausea and vomiting is definitely pathological and is not due to the pregnancy. Material
The material for this study is composed only of those patients who had laparotomies because of diagnoses of appendicitis. All patients were seen in consultation by a senior member of the surgical staff of the University of Chicago Clinics. Since the opening of the Chicago Lying-in Hospital in 1931, there have been 41 cases in which patients underwent surgery with a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pregnancy or the early puerperium. There has not been one case of elective appendectomy during pregnancy for recurrent attacks of right lower quadrant pain. All of the patients reported herein were admitted because of acute attacks of abdominal pain which gave rise to tentative or positive diagnoses of acute appendicitis, In the series there are 19 patients under the age of 25 and all but 6 under 30 years of age. Of these 25, 20 were primigravidas. One patient who died had had five previous pregnancies. The number of cases is small in comparison to that in other reports. An explanation may be that the fact that this is a maternity center and not a general hospital may lead patients who have not arranged for prenatal care to seek medical attention in the emergency room or at a local hospital because of an attack of abdominal pain. The majority of our cases are recent, especially since 1941. The explanation for which we can only conjecture, unless, since our number of deliveries has increased, we could statistically expect a greater incidence. In five different years, i.e., 1932, 1933, 1936, 1938, and 1939, there were no eases of acute appendicitis in pregnancy or the early puerperium. Incidence.-The 41 cases in a period of nineteen years, during which time there were 59,403 mothers delivered from May, 1931, to March 31, 1950, represents an incidence of 0.069 per cent. Of these, only 26 carried a pathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis, a corrected incidence of 0.043 per cent. This is much lower than reports of Hoffman and Suzuki,* who had 0.106 per cent, or Mussey3 at the Mayo Clinic with 2.0 per cent. Baer and associates report an incidence of 0.17 per cent in 16,543 pregnancies. In this series there was only one maternal death which will be summarized later. SymptomatoZogy.-The variability of symptoms can be noted in Table I. The typical history of acute appendicitis is missing in many instances, for nausea and vomiting is a frequent finding in the first trimester and many times this symptom is thought to be related only to the gestation. The pain location however, was typically right lower quadrant in 65 per cent of the cases, which is a lower percentage than in nonpregnant patients, nevertheless significantly high enough to be used diagnostically. TABLE SYMPTOM
Anorexia Nausea Nausea and vomiting Location of pain.R.L.Q. Periumbilical Fever Chills Diarrhea
Dysuria
I.
SYMPTOMS
ON
ADMISSION
NO.CASES
2; 19 33 8 4 2
PERCENTAGE
10 43 37 65 16 9 4 10 12
An>. .J. Ohs.
& Gywc. .July. 1951
Abdominal Pindinys.-The growth of the uterus may distort the abdominal findings by displacement of the appendix, and confusion may be caused by the changes in t.he abdominal wall. The experience of the surgical and the obstet,nc staffs agrees upon these findings which we feel are adequate in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. Table II illustrates the findings, one or more of which nmy have occurred in t.he same patient. TABLE -. -
~~.~
---
..__
~--.-_ PHYSICAL
._..FIND,KG
Muwle spasrrl Right lower quadrant imdcmr~r Rebound tenderness Bikttmil lower quadrant tendwuess Right upper quadrant tendemms No findings
II ._____ NO. CASES
15 33 17 :< 1 1
-- ____~ __PERCENTAGE
__-.
XI 6.5 33 ti I> .I
TOW correct diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in 28 instances, and the original hut erroneous diagnosis was pvelitis in 4 cases, ectopic pregnancy in 2, twisted ovarian cyst in 3, gastroente;itis in 1, and, last, abdominal mass, etiology unknown, in 3. The primary diagnosis compares well with the pathological diagnosis in 26. %&orator!/ Findings.--The normal physiological leucocytosis necessitates using onlp a rising leurocytosis as a diagnostic sign. The normal leucocyte count during pregnancy ranges between 8,700 and 12,500 white blood cells per cubic millimeter, and 27 per cent of our cases fell within this range. The highest, count, was 22,500 in what was found to be, after surgery, a case of pyelitis. The patient who died had as the highest white blood count before surgery 14,200, and only 15,800 the third day postoperatively. Postoperatively, 50 per cent of the patients had no white cell count. above the usual range. Thus to IIS the laboratory findings during pregnancy are of less significance unless there is a definite rising leucocytosis wit,hin a few hours after the onset of symptoms. [email protected] admission temperat.ure was less than 38’ C. in 32 cases and in only 2 cases was the initial temperature 3’J” or above, Postoperatively, the temperatures in 23 cases were less than 38’ and likewise only 2 were 39O C., or above. ‘I’,.Pnt,,~cTc.t.--Thc 1jolic.y of this instil.ut.ion is that, when there is doubt of the tliagnosis of acute appendicitis, laparotomy is performed no matter what. The hospital admission of a.11patients in whom the duration of t,he gestation. the diagnosis of acute appendicitis cannot be ruled out definitely will reduce great I; the risk of peritonitis due to clelay. In perforation or abscess of the aI)pendis t tw ahdominal viscera do not wall off the inflammatory process properly because of’ the large vascular uterus which is freely movable and a periodically The uterus in t,urn appears to become irritated by the contracting structure. inflammation and proceeds to empty itself of the fetal contents. Observation of l)atient,s, without use of analgesics, in t.he hospital with frequent white blood counts, and with either a decrease or increase in abdominal pain, and/or changes If sympin abdominal findings uoted, for a short period of time, is imperative. toms and,/or signs progress, laparotomy is t,he procedure. By contrast it is a policy not. Taoperform elective appendectomies during pregnancy for the care of It is known that the more severe the acut,c so-called chronic appendicitis. Ilrorcss. the lower incidence of previous attacks; conversely, the patient, with chronic appendicitis has had previous atStacks in the majority of cases. The routine appendectomy (luring pregnancy for chronic appendicitis is neither
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS
IN
THE
OBSTETRIC
PATIENT
153
good surgical nor good obstetrical procedure. Even though the risk is slight, nevertheless, a definite risk exists in any surgical procedure. By contrast, the danger of delayed surgery in acute appendicitis in the gravid or recently delivered patient has been well established. Experience has shown that removal of the appendix is far safer. There are minimal hazards of premature labor or abortion because of the surgery. True, normal appendices will be removed occasionally but the grave consequence from an appendiceal rupture warrants the occasional laparotomy at which time a relatively normal appendix is extracted. Appendectomy was performed in 39 cases, in one of which the appendix had ruptured probably during labor. Drainage of appendiceal abscess was done in t,he other 2. The incision generally used was McBurney’s with or without Weir modification. Transverse incision was used in a very few cases in which the gest,ation was in the third trimester. The choice of incision must rest with the operator as each has it,s advantages. The preference for the McBurnev incision is that if perchance labor should ensue before complete healing, hern~ation or evisceration is less likely to occur. Postoperative complications were few. Pyelitis occurred in four patients. One patient developed subsequently a subphrenic abscess which required a second hospitalization and drainage. There was one instance of wound infection, and one paGent had a superficial thromboghlebitis. As a postoperative routine, the patient is placed on bed rest with a liberal sedation for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, then gradually her activities are increased. Progesterone has not been employed postoperatively. Antibiotics were used in only 13 cases and then prophylactically in all but 4. Crile4 has reported on the successful treatment of peritonitis with penicillin, and Kennedy and associates5 have had favorable results in 80 cases. It is possible that this therapy would be very beneficial in the gravid patient but as yet we have had no case for trial. Duration of Pregnancy.-Acute appendicitis occurred in approximately equal numbers in each trimester of gestation as shown in Table III. TABLE TRlMESTER
First Second Third Postpartum Total
-~
III NO.CASES
-
15 16 15 5 51
The policy of laparotomy when in doubt or of operation at any time during pregnancy has not brought about a great fetal loss. There were 2 instances in which premature labor ensued, one of which was in the early part of the last trimester and a viable premat,ure infant was delivered who died the second day. In the second instance, labor began in the latter part of the second trimester This to us changes the former thinking with delivery of a previable premature. that laparotomy in the first trimester will lead to abortion, which did not occur in any of our cases. Formerly, many obstetricians and surgeons would procrastinate when a possible diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in the first trimester, as abortion from exploration of the abdomen seemed a definite hazard. The 2 patients in whom premature labor did ensue, one thirty-six hours after surgery and the other the twenty-seventh day, had appendiceal abscesses, and thus had localized peritonitis at the time of surgery. Severe infections, and especially peritonitis, are known to predispose to premature labor or abortion. Thus one could have expected this course of events in both instances.
BBIBDLE
154
AND
Am. J. Obsr. & Gynec. July, 1951
HESSELTINE
Fetal mortality of 2 in 36 undelivered patients, or 6.6 per cent, is much lower than is usually found in the literature, or if we use 26 cases of acute appendicitis with 2 fetal losses we still have only an 8.8 per cent loss. Hoffman2 -reported a fetal loss in acute cases of 17.4 per cent or three times our incidence. The remainder of our patients went to term with no fetal deaths. Pathology.-The pathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in 24 cases, which excludes the 2 appendiceal abscess cases, or 47 per cent. There were 25 instances in which the removed appendix was normal histologically. In one case a twisted but nonpalpable dermoid cyst explained the symptom ; because of the obvious symptom the appendix was removed at the same time. Maternal Mortality.-There was one maternal death in our series which ocpurred in 1931. Briefly the history of the case is as follows : M. C. (Unit No. 4X91), a 32-year-old gravida vi, para v, was first seen Sept. 8, 1931, in the outpatient clinic, with a history of abdominal pain, tenderness, and nausea and vomiting for four days. She had been amenorrheic since April 26, 1931. The patient was admit,ted to the hospital immediately. Past previously.
history
revealed
that
she
had
had
two
episodes
similar
to
this
eight
years
The physical examination on admission revealed temperature of 99” F., pulse 120, respiration 207 and blood pressure 110/62 . There were tenderness, voluntary rigidity in t,he right upper quadrant, and an indefinite mass palpable in this same area. There was no tenderness over McBurney’s point. The uterus was at the level of the umbilicus. The various diagnoses made on admission were twisted ovarian cyst, retroperitoneal abscess, and hydrops of the gall bladder. Laboratory findings were a white blood count of 14,200 with 86 polymorphonuclear leucoeytes and 24 lymphocytes. The urine was negative. The patient was hydrated with normal saline and intravenous glucose and two days later under general anesthesia a laparotomy was performed and an abscess cavity was accidentally opened behind the ascending colon which contained 60 C.C. of purulent material. Two drains were inserted through the flanks. Postoperatively the patient was given intravenous for forty-eight hours. She recovered slowly and was operative day with abdominal wounds well healed.
fluids, discharged
and Wangensteen on the twenty-fifth
suction post-
Two days after discharge, she was admitted in active labor and after ten hours of labor delivered a 980.gram female infant that expired almost immediately. The placenta was sent to the pathology laboratory and a microscopic diagnosis of acute placentitis was made, Immediately after delivery the patient had a chill, temperature of 100.4” F., pulse of 120, and complained of right lower quadrant pain. Three days later, because of increased pain and tenderness in the right lower quadrant: a drain was inserted through the old wound and a great deal of purulent material This was on Oct. 10, 1931, and cultures from the material were reported as evacuated. Streptococcus. Chest film taken this day was normal. On Oct. 23, 1931, pelvic examination revealed a right pelvic mass extending upward under the cecal area. The pulse rate was 120. Four hundred C.C. of whole blood were given. Five days later, the pain and rigidity over the right side extended down into the femoral vessels. Five hundred cc. of whole blood were given intravenously. Again a pelvic examination was done on Nov. 9, 1931, and the mass was felt in the right side, described as being fluctuant and now about the level of the iliac crest. Temperature was cc. of titrated whole blood were given. 104” h’., pulse 150, respirations 28. Five hundred She was being maintained on intravenous fluids. The forty-first day after the second admission under local anesthesia a laparotomy was performed and a retroperitoneal abscess opened and two drains inserted. The patient’s condition became progressively worse and on Nov. 14, 1931, she died. Autopsy was denied.
Volume Number
62 I
ACUTE
APPENDICITIS
IN
THE
OBSTETRIC
155
PATIENT
Summary 1. A review of 51 cases in which a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made during pregnancy or the early puerperium with one maternal death and two fetal deaths is reported. The signs, symptoms, and physical findings were discussed. 2. The obstetrician must always be alert to the signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis in pregnancy and when in doubt it is best to operate no matter what the duration of the pregnancy. 3. Laparotrachelotomy at the time of removal of an appendix, with but very few exceptions, is violation of good surgical procedure, and should not be performed. 4. It is an acknowledged principle that elective appendectomy at the time of cesarean section or removal of an ectopic pregnancy increases the hazard of appendectomy. The authors express their appreciation to the members Department for their consultations, diagnoses, and surgery appreciation is offered to the following staff members: Drs. Dwight E. Clark, and J. Garratt Allen.
and residents over the many William Adams,
of the Surgery years. Special H. P. Jenkins,
References 1. Baer, Joseph L., 2. Hoffman, Edwin 3. Twyman, R. A., 484, 1940. 4. Crile, George, Jr.: 5. Kennedy, C. S.,
Reis, Ralph A., and Areq S., and Suzuki, Masamichi: Mussey, R. D., and Stalker, Am. J. Surg. 72: 859, 1946. McCadie, J. H., and Arminski,
Robert A.: J. A. M. A. 98: 1359, Grace Hosp. Bull. 26: 25, 1948. L. K.: Proc. Staff Meet., Mayo T. C.:
Grace
Hosp.
Bull.
25:
1932. Clin. 107,
15: 1947.