Long term outcomes after negative appendicectomy: does morbidity justify mandatory pre-operative confirmation of appendicitis prior to surgery?

Abstract Introduction Negative appendicectomy is sometimes described as a quality indicator of an acute surgical service. Previous studies have suggested that negative appendicectomy carries an unacceptably high risk of morbidity and advocate pre-operative imaging to confirm a diagnosis in all cases, despite the resource implications this policy carries. This study quantified long term morbidity after negative appendicectomy. Methods This retrospective cohort study identified all patients who underwent appendicectomy for suspected appendicitis from June 2010 to August 2015 at a single centre. Patients with a histologically normal appendix were identified and their notes were interrogated to record outcomes; median follow-up was 10.6 (range, 8 – 13) years. Complications after surgery were classified using the Clavien-Dindo system. Results 1914 patients had an appendicectomy. 181 patients (9.5%) had a negative appendicectomy. There were 40 re-admissions after surgery; half (20 patients) were within 30 days. The most common causes of re-admission were ongoing symptoms with no identifiable cause (15 patients, 37.5%) or post-operative pain (9 patients (22.5%). Overall post-operative complication rate was 11 patients (6.1%). Of these, 6 patients had Grade 1 or 2 complications, 5 patients (3%) had Grade 3 complications (return to theatre for infection, bleeding or hernia) and none had Grade 4 or 5 complications. There was no mortality. Conclusions There is low short- and long-term morbidity after negative appendicectomy which suggests that routine pre-operative imaging to confirm a diagnosis of appendicitis before surgery is unwarranted. The concerns around complications after negative appendicectomy appear unjustified and should not be a quality indicator.