Multicenter Epidemiological Review of Appendicular Pathology in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a 10-Year Retrospective Study
Abstract
Simplice Kanza*, John Sapu, Moses Badianjile, Dickson Veyi, Thierry Bobanga and Bienvenu Lebwaze
Age and sex distribution could not be assessed due to lack of available data in hospital registers.
Objectives: To assess the epidemiology of appendicular pathology in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and evaluate the rate of histopathological confirmation of intraoperative diagnoses.
Design: Multicenter retrospective descriptive study. Setting: 22 referral hospitals across several provinces of the DRC.
Participants: A total of 8,849 patients clinically diagnosed with appendicitis between 2013 and 2023, out of 147,306 surgical interventions.
Results: The overall frequency of appendicitis was 6%, reaching up to 50% in Bolenge (Grand Equateur). Only 5% of intraoper- ative diagnoses of appendicitis were confirmed by histopathological examination.
Conclusions: Appendicitis remains one of the most frequent surgical diagnoses in the DRC. However, the lack of systematic his- topathological confirmation raises concerns regarding diagnostic accuracy. Routine submission of appendectomy specimens for histopathological examination is strongly recommended.
Strengths and Limitations of this Study:
• Multicenter study including data from 22 hospitals over a 10-year period.
• Provides novel insights into appendicular pathology in the DRC.
• Limited by incomplete access to pathology services and missing data in some hospitals.