The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio may distinguish complicated from non-complicated pediatric appendicitis: A retrospective study and literature review.

BACKGROUND

To date, no parameter with satisfactory accuracy exists for the diagnosis of appendicitis. This retrospective study describes the discriminatory value of preoperative hematologic factors associated with complicated and non-complicated pediatric appendicitis.

METHODS

Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from 294 children diagnosed with appendicitis on admission and treated at our tertiary-level pediatric hospital from 2015 to 2017; they were divided into three groups: control group (n = 118), histologically proven complicated (n = 120), and non-complicated (n = 56) appendicitis.

RESULTS

Complicated appendicitis was associated with male preponderance and elevated neutrophil and monocyte levels (all p < 0.001). Non-complicated appendicitis was associated with elevated eosinophil levels (p = 0.023), and unaltered lymphocyte levels (p = 0.30). Compared to non-complicated disease, the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) was decreased in complicated appendicitis (p = 0.003) but unaltered in the control group (p = 0.38). In the discrimination analysis, LMR had high accuracy (AUC 0.73 ± 0.05; p < 0.001; odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) 6.0 (2.4-15.3)) and was the only parameter independently associated with complicated appendicitis on regression analysis (OR (95% CI), 0.544 (0.359-0.825); p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

We identified LMR as a novel potential marker for the differentiation of complicated from non-complicated pediatric appendicitis. This has implications on the treatment approach, either surgical in complicated disease or conservative in non-complicated disease.