Preoperative Immature Granulocyte Count and Percentage for Acute Appendisitis

Plain-language summary

Appendectomy is the most effective treatment option for acute appendisitis, which is the most commen emergent surgical pathology. However with in time period, surgical treatment borders are narrowed. Especially in uncomplicated acute appendicitis cases, nonoperative management (NOM) with antibiotherapies becomes primary treatment option. The COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and we encountered in the current process, has led to the re-questioning of surgical elective and emergency cases. Serious complications and increased mortality rates of the 2019-nCoV creates a novel problems of patient selection for emergent surgery and health care workers faced with potential health problems. As the same as the other surgical procedures, in the uncomplicated acute appendisitis cases NOM become more mandantory. NOM of uncomplicated acute appendisitis doen't increase perforation risk and general practice for decreasing surgical complications in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Additionally complicated acute appendicitis accounts for 20 to 30% of the patients undergoing appendectomy and lead to increased risk of postoperative complications, delayed recovery and longer hospital stay. Therefore, early diagnosis of complicated acute appendicitis is important; however, the most appropriate and inexpensive diagnostic method to make this diagnosis has not been established yet. Although the use of imaging methods is widespread, these methods are not accessible in many rural hospitals due to the high costs and unavailability of specialists. Thus, the need for an inexpensive and effective diagnostic technique allowing to make a differential diagnosis has not been met yet. For this purpose, several inexpensive and easily accessible blood parameter tests have been proposed; including the white blood cell count, immature granulocyte (IG) percentage, C-reactive protein levels or the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. An increase in the IG count shows that the bone marrow is active. This parameter has been used as a prognostic factor in many infectious and non infectious diseases including sepsis, acute pancreatitis, and acute myocardial infarction. The Immature granulocyte (IG) fraction includes promyelocytes, myelocytes, and metamyelocytes but not band neutrophils or myeloblasts. The IG count and percentage has become an easy-to-use method, especially with the introduction of technological advances, as it can be easily determined using the results of a routine complete blood count. It is aimed to efficacy of IG count and percentage which are calculated automatically in CBC samples, to differatiate the complicated and uncomplicated acute appendicitis cases with a cheap, easily applicable and cost effective test, especially in rural areas without enough diagnostic tests in COVID-19 pandemy.

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