ANALYSIS OF BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE AND DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS PATIENTS

Introduction: Diagnosis of acute appendicitis remains a problem in pediatric surgery. Despite the fact that it is one of the most common surgical emergencies in children, the methods for diagnosing acute appendicitis have significantly not changed over the past few decades. Objectives of the study: The main objective of the study is to analyze the biochemical profile and diagnostic accuracy of acute appendicitis patients. Methodology of the study: This descriptive study was conducted in Nishtar Hospital, Multan during March 2018 to November 2018. This study was done with the permission of ethical committee of hospital. This study include data from 50 patient’s age range 5 to 15 years old. Clinical signs of acute appendicitis determined by the surgeon and duration of symptoms were documented on admission. Blood samples for routine laboratory tests (white blood cell count, differential count, and C-reactive protein) and an additional 1.0 mL of blood for later analysis of IL-6 concentration were obtained on admission. Results: The data was collected from 50 patients of both genders. There were no negative appendectomies during the study. Sixteen of 50 cases with acute appendicitis resulted in perforation. Significant differences between acute appendicitis and abdominal pain were seen in the following diagnostic tests: clinical signs, white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein, IL-6 concentrations, and ultrasonography. White blood cell counts, serum C-reactive protein, and IL-6 concentrations in children with acute appendicitis were dependent on the duration of symptoms. Conclusion: It is concluded that clinical signs were still the most sensitive diagnostic method. Among laboratory tests, white blood cell count and C-reactive protein concentration in serum are of low diagnostic accuracy and have only a supportive role in diagnosing acute appendicitis in children