A Clinical Study of Periappendiceal Abscess

ABSTRACT

This is a clinical analysis and review of one-hundred ninety-four patients with periappendiceal abscesses who were treated at the Departmeat of Surgery, Masan Samsung Hospital over a ten year period from January 1985 to December 1994. The following results were obtained. The incidence of periappendiceal abscesses was 7.24% of the total cases of appendicitis operated on during the same period, and most of the patients(43.8%) were over fifty years old. The male to female ratio was 11.02. 41.2% of the patients had operations within four days after their symptoms occurred. On admission, the most common physical finding was tenderness on the right lower quadrant of the abdomen (92.9%) and leukocytosis(> OR = 10,000/mm3) was noted on CBC in 82% of the patients. Abdominal sonograms revealed periappendiceal abscesses in 88% of the patients, 83% were revealed with barium enema and 88% with abdominal CT scan. Many patients(75.5%) visited the local clinic and were treated under the diagnosis of gastritis or enteritis instead of appendicitis. One-hundred eighty-three patients(94.3%) had appendectomies with drainages(94.3%), two patients had drainages of abscesses without appendectomy, six patients had ileocecal resections and three patients had right hemicolectomies. Microbiologically, E. coli was the most frequently cultured species(63%) from abscess, and Klebsiella, Enterococcus and Proteus were isolated in some cases. Postoperative complication occurred in seventy-five patients(38.6%) and the most frequent complication was wound infection(28.8%). There was no mortality and the mean hospital stay was fifteen days.