HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS, THE ROLE OF NEUTROPHIL TO LYMPHOCYTE RATIO IN ITS DIAGNOSIS

Abstract

Acute appendicitis is one of the commonest surgical emergencies. The diagnosis is still doubtful in a number of cases. Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (N/L R) is a simple, applicable hematological test which carried out to find if there is any relationship between this ratio and acute appendicitis and to see could the ratio be used as a diagnostic tool rather than white blood cell count (WBC) alone. This study was carried out on 70 patients aged (9-45) years who was admitted to hospital with suspicion of acute appendicitis, latter on, they underwent appendectomy. Preoperative blood sample was collected from each patient for WBC and differentials leukocyte count. Postoperatively appendectomy specimens were taken to histopathological examination, which shows 52 cases of inflamed appendix and 18 normal appendices. When the (N/L R) and (WBC) were correlated with results of histopathology, it was found that there is a relationship between acute appendicitis and (N/L R), especially if we use the ratio at cut off point which was>2.6(p value0.05=0.219). In conclusion, there is a strong relationship between (N/L R) and acute appendicitis.

Keywords

• histopathological study of acute appendicitis
• the role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in its diagnosis