Perforated appendicitis: Risk factors and outcomes of management

The case files of patients with perforated appendicitis were analysed in relation to age, sex, clinical presentation, management and outcome of management. The aim was to detect the main factors that contributed to the perforation of the appendix in these patients and assess the effectiveness of the treatment offered. In a ten year period, 1993 to 2002, 655 appendicectomies were recorded .Twenty-nine cases were confirmed as perforated appendicitis. The perforation rate was 4.4%. It was concluded that there was significant delay in presentation in all cases. There is still ignorance among our population, including the well educated, of features of acute appendicitis. It appears the risk of perforation is higher with the first attack of acute appendicitis than with subsequent attacks. The most frequent complication was wound infection, 37.9%. Keywords : Perforated appendicitis, risk factors, outcome of management Nigerian Journal of surgical Sciences Vol. 16 (2) 2006: pp. 76-79