Ellen Barnes, Rian Hayes, Sarah Louise Halpin, Sana Nasim
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Appendicitis is a frequently encountered surgical condition, yet its diagnosis can be challenging. There is increasing research on the safety of leaving macroscopically normal appendices in situ, the necessity of routine histopathological assessment, and the impact of the intra-operative assessment on the post-operative course. We aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the surgeon's intra-operative diagnosis of appendiceal pathology, which is an important factor in answering these questions.
Methods: Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched for studies listing the corresponding intra-operative and histopathological diagnoses of appendicectomies performed for suspected appendicitis. The primary outcome was the sensitivity and specificity of the surgeon at recognising an abnormal appendix, which we subjected to meta-analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed for paediatric and adult populations. Incidence of unexpected findings and if they were recognised intra-operatively was recorded.
Result: 42 articles were included in the systematic review. 26 studies featuring 17,374 patients were included in the meta-analysis, which found that surgeons' intra-operative diagnosis was 95.2 % (95 % CI 94.8-95.5 %) sensitive and 60 % (95 % CI 58.1-62 %) specific. Surgeons are slightly more sensitive and specific in paediatric populations (sensitivity 95.7 % (95 % CI 95-96.4 %), specificity 64.1 % (95 % CI 60-68 %)) compared with adult populations (sensitivity 93 % (95 % CI 91.3-94.5 %), specificity 56.5 % (95 % CI 50.1-62.6 %)), however, this difference was only statistically significant in sensitivity. 1.7 % of appendicectomy specimens had unexpected histopathological findings, of which very few were suspected intra-operatively.
Conclusion: Surgeons are highly sensitive but not very specific at recognising abnormal appendices intra-operatively.
期刊介绍：
Since its establishment in 2003, The Surgeon has established itself as one of the leading multidisciplinary surgical titles, both in print and online. The Surgeon is published for the worldwide surgical and dental communities. The goal of the Journal is to achieve wider national and international recognition, through a commitment to excellence in original research. In addition, both Colleges see the Journal as an important educational service, and consequently there is a particular focus on post-graduate development. Much of our educational role will continue to be achieved through publishing expanded review articles by leaders in their field.
Articles in related areas to surgery and dentistry, such as healthcare management and education, are also welcomed. We aim to educate, entertain, give insight into new surgical techniques and technology, and provide a forum for debate and discussion.
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