Watch video about laparoscopic appendectomy surgery here for FREE! You'll see how doctors do with our appendix!.Appendicitis Updated Review
Review all aspect of appendicitis including symptoms, sign, investigation,treatment and surgery
Watch video about laparoscopic appendectomy surgery here for FREE! You'll see how doctors do with our appendix!.How to Detect Acute Appendicitis
Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal pain among children and teenagers worldwide. They can be either acute or chronic. Acute appendicitis develops fast and can be removed using surgery. It can become severe, however, if not discovered and treated in time. Chronic appendicitis, on the other hand, develops slower and has less pronounced symptoms.
Acute appendicitis is caused by bacterial infections in the vermiform appendix, a tubular extension of the large intestine which functions as part of the digestive process. When the appendix is blocked by feces or it is squeezed by lymph nodes, it swells and usually doesn’t receive enough blood.
Open Appendectomy for Appendicitis
If open appendectomy is chosen for treat appendicitis, the surgeon must then decide on the location and type of incision. Prior to incision, a single dose of antibiotics should be administered, typically a second-generation cephalosporin.The appendicitis patient should be re-examined after the induction of general anesthesia, which enables deep palpation of the abdomen. If a mass representing the inflamed appendix can be palpated, the incision can be centered at that location. If no appendiceal mass is detected, the incision should be centered over McBurney’s point, one-third of the distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus. A curvilinear incision, now known as a McBurney’s incision, is made in a natural skin fold. It is important not to make the incision too medial or too lateral. An incision placed too medial opens onto the anterior rectus sheath, rather than the desired oblique muscles, while an incision placed too lateral may be lateral to the abdominal cavity.
Immunocompromise and Appendicitis
The immunocompromised state alters the normal response to acute infection and wound healing. Appendicitis affects all types of patients and must be considered in those who have undergone organ transplantation, are receiving chemotherapy, have hematological malignancy, or are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. The differential diagnosis of abdominal pain in this population is broad and includes hepatitis, pancreatitis (from medications or cytomegalovirus infection), acalculous cholecystitis, intra-abdominal opportunistic infections (cytomegalovirus colitis or mycobacterial ileitis), secondary malignancies (lymphoma or Kaposi’s sarcoma), graft-versus-host disease, and typhlitis. This broad differential diagnosis often results in delay in diagnosis and late presentation to surgical evaluation, at which time perforation may be more likely.
Summary of Appendicitis Disease
Summary of Appendicitis Disease
