Hydronephrosis as a predictor of complicated acute appendicitis: a cross-sectional study

Objective. To determine whether hydronephrosis is a predictive factor for complicated acute appendicitis in patients with acute appendicitis. Material and methods. Observational, analytical, cross-sectional study; Patients with a histopathological diagnosis of acute appendicitis were included from the Department of Surgery of the Trujillo Regional Teaching Hospital between June and December 2022. They were divided into two groups, complicated and uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Abdominal ultrasound was evaluated to detect the presence or absence of hydronephrosis. Statistical data were analyzed using the Student’s t-test for quantitative variables and Chi square for qualitative variables, considering p<0.05 statistically significant. Results. It was found that 95 of 145 patients (65.5%) had complicated acute appendicitis with histopathological diagnosis, and 50 of 145 patients (34.4%) had uncomplicated appendicitis. Of the patients with complicated acute appendicitis, 6.32% (6) had right hydronephrosis, compared with 2% (1) (p=0.249). Operative time was identified as a statistically significant factor (p<0.05) of complicated acute appendicitis, at an average of 71.34±32.20 minutes in complicated acute appendicitis versus 52.16±21.16 in the other group. Conclusion. No association was found between the presence of hydronephrosis and complicated acute appendicitis.