Diagnostic Value of Hyperbilirubinemia as a Predictor for Appendiceal Perforation in Acute Appendicitis

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of hyperbilirubinemia as a predictor for “appendiceal perforation” in acute appendicitis. Study Design: validation study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of General Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Sep to Feb 2022. Methodology: A total of 96 patients having acute appendicitis were included Serum bilirubin levels were documented. Patients then underwent appendectomy and based on operative finding diagnosis of simple/perforated appendicitis was made. 2x2 table was drawn for sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Results: In our study, mean age of study population was 20.86±3.26 years. There 46(47.90%) male participants while remaining 50(52.10%) participants were female. Mean duration of symptoms was 10.79±2.56 hours. Mean serum bilirubin was 1.28±0.74 mg/dl. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of “hyperbilirubinemia” as a predictor for “appendiceal perforation” in acute appendicitis was 63.64%, 76.92%, 70.00% and 71.43%, respectively. Conclusion: Raised serum levels of bilirubin can serve as a potentially useful laboratory test for predicting “appendiceal perforation”.