The status of patients with negative appendicectomies in Maiduguri.

This study was conducted to verify the status of patients with negative appendicectomies in our practice and thus assess possible ways of reducing it. Of a total of 554 appendicectomies done in UMTH from January 1997 to December 2001, 27 (4.9 %) of these appendices were reported at histology as normal. 21 (77.8 %) were females and 6 (22.2 %) were males giving a female to male ratio of 3.5 to 1. The age range of the female patients was between 18 and 47 years with a mean 28.8 (SD) of (8.2) years. The age range of the male patients was between 11 and 47 years with a mean 31.5 (SD) of (12.6) years. The diagnostic alternatives depict the common scenario: Gynaecological conditions, urinary problems, peptic ulcer disease and non specific abdominal pain which are some of the major known differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Therefore careful clinical assessment of the patient should be depended upon for the diagnosis of appendicitis especially in our environment where sophisticated aids to diagnosis remains scarce.