| ANALYTICAL REPORT |
|
| Year : 2012 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 1 | Page : 132-134 |
Acute leukemic appendicitis in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia
Hatim Karachiwala, Subhraleena Das, Srivalli Gopaluni, Ajeet Gajra
Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University Syracuse, New York, USA
Correspondence Address:
Hatim Karachiwala Department of Medicine, 750 E Adams Street, Syracuse, NY 13210 USA

DOI: 10.4103/0973-1482.95194
Leukemic and lymphomatous infiltration of the appendix is a rare complication. We present the case of a 31-year-old male with acute promyelocytic leukemia who developed acute abdomen on day 11 of induction chemotherapy with idarubicin and cytarabine. After appropriate work-up, a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made. Despite severe pancytopenia, he successfully underwent laparoscopic appendectomy. The final pathology revealed leukemic infiltration of the appendix. It is hypothesized that the leukemic infiltration may play a role in the development of acute appendicitis. Further, this case demonstrates the need to maintain a high index of suspicion and prompt surgical intervention for surgical pathologies in neutropenic patients.
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