Abdominal surgery during pregnancy at University Of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu

Abstract

A 15 year retrospective study of 55 pregnant patients who underwent laparotomy between January, 1984 and December 1998 revealed an incidence of 0.07 percent (1 in 1535 deliveries). Ovarian cystectomy was the commonest (38.2%) abdominal surgery performed during pregnancy, followed by intestinal obstruction (23.6%), appendicectomy (18.2%), ophorectomy (10.9%), myomectomy (5.5%) and cholecystectomy (3.6%). Sixteen (29.1%) patients had surgery in the first trimester, thirty (54.5%) second trimester and nine (16.4%) in third trimester. The outcome of pregnancy was dependent on the type of surgery, timing of the operation and degree of surgical delay. Premature labour, abortion and wound infection are common complications. Two (3.6%) maternal death were recorded following perforated appendix. There were 19(34.5%) fetal losses among the patients. Early diagnosis and timely surgical intervention will result in better perinatal and maternal outcome.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• abdominal surgery