Acute Appendicitis in Istanbul: An 8-year Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common cause of acute abdominal and emergency surgery worldwide. Over the past decades, the incidence of AA has been increasing, and with minimally invasive technology, treatment modalities are changing. This study aimed to examine the incidence of AA in Istanbul, Turkey over the years and seasons and investigate the rates of open and laparoscopic appendectomy (LA).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the archives of the Turkish Association of Trauma and Emergency Surgery between January 2012 and December 2019. Data from 11 tertiary hospitals with heavy patient flow from Istanbul were included. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis of variance tests were performed. Statistical significance was defined as p-values of <0.05.

Results: A total of 39,932 AA cases were evaluated. The cumulative incidence of AA in Istanbul was 123/100,000 between 2012 and 2019, with increasing incidence over the years (p=0.01). LA rates have increased, and 68.5% of the cases were laparoscopically managed in 2019. AA rates were slightly higher in spring than in other seasons (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The incidence rate of AA and its laparoscopic management are significantly increasing in Istanbul.