Bacteriuria in appendicitis

The value of bacteriologic findings in patients with acute appendicitis was studied. Routine urinary culture specimens were taken preoperatively from 194 children (mean age 11 +/- 3 years) undergoing emergency appendectomy. Bacteria were found in culture specimens of urine from 26 of 156 patients with acute appendicitis. The bacteriuria was correlated to the position of the appendix, the duration of disease, and the degree of inflammatory changes in the appendix. The results suggest direct spread of bacteria from the inflamed appendix to the urinary tract due to close anatomic relationship and to the severity of the inflammatory changes. That this spread of bacteria can have clinical significance cannot be excluded. Urinary sedimentation study is of no use in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.