News & Perspective
Drugs & Diseases
CME & Education
Academy
Video
Decision Point
Edition: English

Medscape

English
Deutsch
Español
Français
Português
UKNew

Univadis

Sign Up It's Free!
English Edition

Medscape

Univadis

    X
    Univadis from Medscape

    No Results

      News & Perspective Drugs & Diseases CME & Education Academy Video Decision Point
      Drugs & Diseases > Emergency Medicine

      Appendicitis Differential Diagnoses

      Updated: Nov 09, 2022
      • Author: Sandy Craig, MD; Chief Editor: Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP  more...
      • Print
      DDx

      Diagnostic Considerations

      The overall accuracy for diagnosing acute appendicitis is approximately 80%, which corresponds to a mean negative appendectomy rate of 20%. Diagnostic accuracy varies by sex, with a range of 78-92% in male patients and 58-85% in female patients.

      The classic history of anorexia and periumbilical pain followed by nausea, right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain, and vomiting occurs in only 50% of cases. Vomiting that precedes pain is suggestive of intestinal obstruction, and the diagnosis of appendicitis should be reconsidered.

      The differential diagnosis of appendicitis is often a clinical challenge because appendicitis can mimic several abdominal conditions (see the Differentials section). [12] Patients with many other disorders present with symptoms similar to those of appendicitis, such as the following:

      Other problems that should be considered in a patient with suspected appendicitis include appendiceal stump appendicitis, typhlitis, epiploic appendagitis, psoas abscess, and yersiniosis.

      Misdiagnosis in women of childbearing age

      Appendicitis is misdiagnosed in 33% of nonpregnant women of childbearing age. The most frequent misdiagnoses are PID, followed by gastroenteritis and urinary tract infection. In distinguishing appendiceal pain from that of PID, anorexia and onset of pain more than 14 days after menses suggests appendicitis. Previous PID, vaginal discharge, or urinary symptoms indicates PID. On physical examination, tenderness outside the RLQ, cervical motion tenderness, vaginal discharge, and positive urinalysis support the diagnosis of PID.

      Although negative appendectomy does not appear to adversely affect maternal or fetal health, diagnostic delay with perforation does increase fetal and maternal morbidity. Therefore, aggressive evaluation of the appendix is warranted in pregnant women.

      The level of urinary beta–human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) is useful in differentiating appendicitis from early ectopic pregnancy. However, with regard to the WBC count, physiologic leukocytosis during pregnancy makes this study less useful in the diagnosis than at other times, and no reliable distinguishing WBC parameters are cited in the literature.

      Misdiagnosis in children

      Appendicitis is misdiagnosed in 25-30% of children, and the rate of initial misdiagnosis is inversely related to the age of the patient. The most common misdiagnosis is gastroenteritis, followed by upper respiratory infection and lower respiratory infection.

      Children with misdiagnosed appendicitis are more likely than their counterparts to have vomiting before pain onset, diarrhea, constipation, dysuria, signs and symptoms of upper respiratory infection, and lethargy or irritability. Physical findings less likely to be documented in children with a misdiagnosis than in others include bowel sounds; peritoneal signs; rectal findings; and ear, nose, and throat findings.

      Considerations in elderly patients

      Appendicitis in patients older than 60 years accounts for 10% of all appendectomies. The incidence of misdiagnosis is increased in elderly patients.

      Older patients tend to seek medical attention later in the course of illness; therefore, a duration of symptoms in excess of 24-48 hours should not dissuade the clinician from the diagnosis. In patients with comorbid conditions, diagnostic delay is correlated with increased morbidity and mortality.

      Differential Diagnoses

      Workup
       
      Media Gallery
      of 6
      Find Us On
      About
      About Medscape Privacy Policy Editorial Policy Cookies Terms of Use Advertising Policy Help Center
      Membership
      Become a Member About You Professional Information Newsletters & Alerts Market Research
      App
      Medscape
      WebMD Network
      Medscape Live Events WebMD MedicineNet eMedicineHealth RxList WebMD Corporate Medscape UK
      Editions
      English Deutsch Español Français Português UK
      All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2023 by WebMD LLC. This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.