ABSTRACT
In order to estimate the specificity of the clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis, case records of 148 patients, who underwent appendectomy or who were diagnosed as having periappendicular abscess during one year at a regional hospital in Denmark were analyzed. Operations without finding acute appendicitis occurred in 25.4 per cent of the patients. The group of women in the fertile age (12-50 years) was prone to unnecessary surgery (51.9 per cent in this group had a normal appendix). In children, men and non-fertile women only a few patients had unnecessary surgery. Belated diagnoses (perforation and/or abscess) were found truly in 10.7 per cent of the cases, and, with a significant higher incidence, in elderly patients (age greater than 50 years). The possibilities of diminishing the incidence of unnecessary surgery and belated diagnoses are discussed.
Subject(s)
Appendicitis/diagnosis , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Appendectomy/statistics & numerical data , Appendicitis/surgery , Child , Child, Preschool , Denmark/epidemiology , False Positive Reactions , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/diagnosisABSTRACT
Long-term observation with a minimum 10 years on patients treated for duodenal ulcer is rare. This paper presents the long-term results of truncal vagotomy and drainage with a observation time of 16.8 years (range 10.1-22.4). A total of 146 patients were investigated. The side effects of the operation were moderate and only four per cent had unsatisfactory results at observation time. The recurrence rate was 25.5 per cent. Only 50 per cent of the recurrences were seen after the first eight years. A long follow-up time is therefore recommended in follow-up study of treatment of duodenal ulcer.
