Accuracy of Leukocyte Count and C-Reactive Protein in the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis –A Prospective Study

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency. Misdiagnosis has a major impact in health care systems, as well as important legal consequences. The diagnosis of Appendicitis still remains a clinical dilemma. Even with the advances in medical field, there is no definitive method or tool to diagnose acute appendicitis. Aim: To evaluate the accuracy of Total Leukocyte Count and C - reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational studywas conducted and 50 patients who underwent emergency appendicectomy were considered for the study. The sensitivity and specificity of TLC, CRP and HPE reports of the ressected specimens were tabulated. of 50 cases which underwent emergency appendicectomy. Chi-square/ Fisher exact test has been used to find the significance of study parameters. Results: Increased Total leucocyte count was seen in 88% cases and CRP in 80%. These values were also correlated with the histopathology reports to aid in the diagnosis. Conclusion: This study aims at taking into account TLC and CRP in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, it also helps in analyzing how specific and sensitive an indicator it is in the prediction of acute appendicitis. The values of TLC and CRP will be compared with the histopathology reports of the resected appendix specimen.