Acute appendicitis complicating pregnancy

Appendicitis occurring during pregnancy presents a difficult problem for both the treating gynecological and the surgeon. We studied retrospectively the cases of 52 consecutive patients seen during a four-year period at Riyadh Central Hospital, a large and busy general hospital. The incidence of appendicitis in various stages of pregnancy, along with its symptomatology, physical signs, laboratory results, and operative findings, were analyzed. The rates of complications, especially maternal and fetal mortality, were also analyzed and findings compared with those reported elsewhere. There was no maternal morbidity and a 4% fetal mortality. We concluded that an aggressive approach in the diagnosis and surgical management of these patients reduces the maternal and fetal mortality.