Abstract

Appendicitis is one of the commonest surgical emergencies. Appendix may appear normal at surgery, but the histo-pathological assessment of the specimens may reveal unusual pathology. Our aim was to review the histopathological reports of 1324 appendicectomy specimens and to document the unusual findings. The medical record and the histopathology report of 1324 patients who underwent appendicectomy (between January 2005 and December 2007) at King Fahad hospital, Hofuf, Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia were retrospective reviewed according to age, sex, histopathological diagnosis and unusual findings on histology. The histopathology reports, reveal (45) abnormal incidental lesions, including five patients with Carcinoid tumor, 1 patient with Adenocarcinoma and nine Crohn's disease patients. The gross examination at the time of surgery cannot detect all the abnormalities of the appendix. This study supports routine histopathological examination of all appendicectomy specimens to avoid missing any clinically important and treatable condition.

Key words: Appendecitis, pathology, specimens, patients.