Appendicitis and Cholecystitis in Pregnancy

Abstract

Acute abdominal pain in pregnancy may be attributable to a broad range of nonobstetrical causes. The evaluation of an acute abdomen during pregnancy must include in the differential diagnosis appendicitis and cholecystitis, which are 2 of the most common reasons for nonobstetric surgical intervention in pregnancy. Both conditions may be associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and/or mortality. This study will provide a contemporary synopsis regarding the diagnosis and management of appendicitis and cholecystitis during pregnancy.

Acute appendicitis during pregnancy: Case series of 20 pregnant women

“…[11,12] The most commonly performed non-obstetric operation (44%) on pregnant women is appendectomy. [13] Diagnosis of commonly encountered signs of appendicitis is challenging due to physiological changes that occur during pregnancy.…”

Laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy versus open: a study in 1999 pregnant patients

“…common non-obstetrical operations in pregnant patients [1][2][3][4][5]. The highest incidence is appendicitis, which occurs in 0.04-0.2 % of all pregnancies; this representing 25 % of non-obstetric operations performed during pregnancy [1,2,4].…”

Surgical management of acute cholecystitis

“…Conservative treatment of acute biliary diseases during pregnancy has been reported to have relapse rates between 40 and 70 % [77]. On the other hand, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been safely performed during all trimesters of pregnancy but may require a specific strategy for patient and port positioning [78,79].…”