EVALUATION OF HYPERBILIRUBINAEMIA AS A NEW DIAGNOSTIC MARKER FOR ACUTE APPENDICITIS AND ITS ROLE IN THE PREDICTION OF APPENDICULAR PERFORATION

Abstract

BACKGROUND There are various investigations recommended to diagnose acute appendicitis; however, till date there is no confirmatory laboratory marker to diagnose preoperatively acute appendicitis & appendicular perforation. The purpose of study is to evaluate hyperbilirubinaemia as a new diagnostic marker for acute appendicitis and its role in the prediction of appendicular perforation. Preoperative assessment of serum bilirubin appears to be a promising new laboratory marker for diagnosing acute appendicitis & have a predictive potential for the diagnosis of appendicular perforation. METHODS A prospective analytical study of 100 cases comprising of a non-randomised cohort. RESULTS Hyperbilirubinaemia was found in most of the patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis (68.23%) or appendicular perforation (73.33%). The mean total bilirubin level in patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis was 1.34 mg% while in patients diagnosed with appendicular perforation was 2.12 mg%. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative assessment of serum bilirubin should be routinely performed in cases of acute appendicitis as it can help in diagnosis of acute appendicitis as well as also serve as an important maker of acute gangrenous appendicitis