04 Oct Appendicitis May Be More Common After Colonoscopy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Basson
Marc D. Basson, MD, PhD, MBA
Professor of Surgery, Pathology, and Biomedical Science
Senior Associate Dean for Medicine and Research
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Grand Forks, ND 58202
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: I and other surgeons have previously had the experience of caring for patients with appendicitis who had recently undergone colonoscopy, and wondered if there might be a connection. However, colonoscopy and appendicitis are both common events, and so it would be difficult to tell whether they are linked or just coincidences from scattered occurrences.
After obtaining appropriate regulatory approvals, we identified almost 400,000 veterans from the US Department of Veterans Affairs database who had undergone screening colonoscopy and compared their rates of appendectomy and acute appendicitis in the week following colonoscopy to rates of appendectomy and appendicitis over each of the following 51 weeks. We asked the question in several different ways and verified our results by examining surgical and pathology reports. Depending on how the question was asked and appendicitis or appendectomy defined, rates of appendectomy and appendicitis were clearly 4-9 times higher in the first week after diagnostic colonoscopy. This wasn’t true when we asked whether appendectomy was more common after several other procedures that also required sedation and contact with the medical system.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Colonoscopy is still very safe. This is not a reason not to have a colonoscopy. However, patients who develop persistent right lower abdominal pain after colonoscopy should certainly be aware of this issue and seek medical attention.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Meanwhile, this is consistent with other studies suggesting that there is more to appendicitis than we had previously thought. Future research should examine different possibilities for why this occurs, and may help us to understand appendicitis in general.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: No disclosures. We are very grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs for allowing us to conduct this study.
For further information, the reader is referred to the following papers:
- Kavic S, Basson MD. Management of complications of endoscopy. Am J Surg. 181:319-332, 2001.
- Shaw D, Gallardo G, Basson MD. Post-colonoscopy appendicitis: A case report and systematic review. World J GI Surgery. 5(10): 259-263, 2013.
- Basson MD, Persinger D, Newman W. Colonoscopy is associated with increased risk of appendicitis. JAMA Surgery. Published on-line October 4, 2017.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Basson MD, Persinger D, Newman WP. Association of Colonoscopy With Risk of Appendicitis. JAMA Surg.Published online October 04, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.3790
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on October 4, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD