Investigation into Cases of Diverticulum of the Appendix

Abstract

As compared to acute appendicitis, which is quite common, diverticulum of the appendix is a relatively rare disease. In many cases, diverticulum of the appendix is correctly diagnosed during surgery after an initial diagnosis of appendicitis. We compared 14 patients (7.3%) who exhibited diverticulum of the appendix with 177 patients (92.7%) who did not from a total of 191 patients who underwent surgery following the diagnosis of acute appendicitis over a 2-year period from January 2012 to December 2013. We statistically compared the background, findings upon arrival at hospital, maximum diameter of the appendix, perforation rate, and number of days in hospital of these patients, and found that the perforation rate was significantly higher in patients with diverticulum of the appendix. These results suggested a risk of perforation even in cases of appendicitis with mild inflammation. Advances in diagnostic imaging have made preoperative diagnosis of diverticulum of the appendix via computed tomography possible at least to some extent. If findings suggestive of diverticulum of the appendix are observed, because of the high risk of perforation, surgical treatment should be considered even if the appendicitis is deemed mild.