Diagnosis of Appendicitis in Patients with a Normal White Blood Cell Count; A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: To investigate the clinical, imaging and laboratory findings for diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) in patients with a normal white blood cell count (WBCC).

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, during a 1-year period. To determine diagnostic factors in AA in patients with normal WBCC, medical records of eligible patients were reviewed for demographic and clinical variables, as well as patient outcome.

Results: A total of 105 patients that had undergone appendectomy and were found to have a normal WBCC were included in the study. Of these patients, 53 (50.5%) were men and 52 (49.5%) were women. The mean age of the patients was 34.2±12.3 (min 14, max 78). The negative exploration rate was identified as 19%. In the multivariate analysis, only the diameter of appendix was statistically significant ( p =0.002). ROC analysis revealed the cut off appendiceal diameter as 8 mm.

Conclusion: In patients suspected of AA due to ≥8 mm appendiceal diameter determined by imaging, we recommend surgical treatment even if WBCC and neutrophil count are normal.