Pathology of the appendix

An audit of 3374 appendectomy specimens in 2578 Saudi and 796 non-Saudi nationals revealed a diagnosis rate of 74.7% of inflamed appendix, a normal appendix range of 7.8% to 22.5% with the higher rate of normal appendix found among females. The finding of high incidence of schistosomal appendicitis among Egyptian males is not surprising given the high incidence of schistosomiasis among Egyptians in general. The alternate diagnoses, which include such conditions as neoplasm, mucocele, other inflammatory conditions such as periappendicitis, and parasitic infestations, are not different from findings in the reported literature.