Search

Objective: Abdominal ultrasonography is widely used to evaluate suspected cases of appendicitis. Objective descriptions of the direct and indirect signs of appendicitis result in varied assessments of its likelihood. This study introduces the Appendix Imaging Reporting and Data System (APENDIC-RADS) to standardize the reporting of appendix ultrasound findings., Methods: This single-center retrospective study included consecutive patients of all ages who underwent abdominal ultrasonography for the investigation of acute appendicitis. The primary outcome was histopathological confirmation of acute appendicitis post-surgery. The imaging findings were classified into five categories: APENDIC-RADS 0, where the appendix cannot be visualized; APENDIC-RADS 1, indicating a normal appendix; APENDIC-RADS 2, describing an appendix that is likely normal but only partially visualized; APENDIC-RADS 3, appendicitis cannot be ruled out due to uncertain features and APENDIC-RADS 4, acute appendicitis., Results: A total of 747 patients were assessed for suspected acute appendicitis using ultrasonography. Of the diagnosed patients, 52% were male, primarily exhibiting symptoms such as nausea and/or vomiting (60%), right iliac fossa pain (54%), and sudden decompression in the right iliac fossa (24%). Stratification into APENDIC-RADS categories revealed a significant variation in the incidence of acute appendicitis, with incidence rates of 4.5% for category 0 and 0.7%, 2.2%, 11.5%, and 93.5% for categories 1 to 4, respectively (p<0.001). The APENDIC-RADS showed excellent discriminative ability, evidenced by an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.950 (95%CI=0.899-1)., Conclusion: APENDIC-RADS categorization demonstrated excellent performance in standardizing the ultrasound-determined probability of acute appendicitis. Its implementation could improve physician communication and standardization of patient management.

Purpose: To evaluate exogenous hyaluronic acid (HA) derived from bacterial fermentation through enteral and parenteral routes in ischemic skin flaps induced in rats, using clinical and histological exams; and interleukins (IL) as tissue inflammatory biomarkers., Methods: Sixty-four male adults Wistar rats with ischemic skin flaps on the dorsum were randomized into four groups, based on the treatment protocol: subcutaneous administration of saline solution (0.9%) (GI); oral administration of distilled water (GII); subcutaneous administration of HA (0.3%) (GIII); and oral administration of HA (1%) (GIV). Flaps of all groups were comparable regarding clinical and macroscopic evaluation, histological examination, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α) and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10., Results: A lower percentage of necrosis was identified in flaps treated with subcutaneous administration of HA (0.3%). The pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, epidermis thickness, blood vessels, and inflammatory cells showed statistically significant inter-group and intra-group differences (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: High molecular HA (1,400 ~ 2,000 kDa) administrated by subcutaneous or oral route exhibited beneficial effects in ischemic skin flaps of rats. However, subcutaneous administration of HA (0.3%) showed better results in terms of the percentage of necrosis and epithelialization.