Appendicectomy during pregnancy.

Twenty-four appendicectomies were performed during intra-uterine pregnancy at the Department of Surgery of the University Central Hospital, Turku, in the period 1963--77. Six out of 14 cases of appendicitis occurred in the third trimester. The incidence of appendicitis during pregnancy was 1 : 1 445. In 9 cases the appendices removed were normal. The diagnostic difficulties were greatest during the final phase of pregnancy. The location of palpation tenderness in these cases differed from that in the cases with a normal appendix. Fever was generally slight and was sometimes completely absent. The appendix had perforated in 2 cases in both of which premature delivery occurred on the third postoperative day. The infant died in one of these two cases because of immaturity. The pregnancy of the other patients continued uneventfully to term. Appendicitis and appendecectomy performed in good time generally do not involve risk for the continued progress of pregnancy. Progesterone or isoxuprine may have beneficial effect on the course of the pregnancy.