Feb. 23, 2023 | The appendix is a thin, roughly four-inch-long tube that’s part of your gastrointestinal, or GI, tract, a complex group of organs that help you digest and absorb food. The upper GI tract includes your esophagus, stomach, and the first section of your small intestine, called the duodenum. The lower GI tract is made up of most of your small intestine and all of your large intestine. The muscles lining your GI tract, along with the hormones and enzymes that the system produces, allow your GI tract to break down and process food. Your appendix is located in the lower right part of your abdomen, in an area that doctors refer to as McBurney’s point. If applying pressure on McBurney’s point results in pain or tenderness, your doctor may suspect that you have appendicitis. Your appendix doesn’t directly help with digestion. It’s unclear what role the appendix has in the body, and removal of the organ doesn’t appear to have any negative health consequences.

Feb. 23, 2023 | Appendicitis is inflammation of your appendix, a finger-like pouch attached to your large intestine. In the U.S., appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain for which you need surgery. About five to nine of every 100 people develop appendicitis at some point. Appendicitis is slightly more common among males than females. It happens more often in people in their teens and 20s, but it may happen in people of any age. Left untreated, appendicitis can cause your appendix to burst, which can lead to complications. One such complication, peritonitis, is a serious infection that can spread in your abdomen. Another possible complication is an abscess of the appendix called an appendiceal abscess. Appendicitis can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease or by enlarged tissue in the wall of your appendix caused by an infection. It can also be caused by hardened stools or growths that can block the opening inside the appendix.

Feb. 23, 2023 | The most common symptom of appendicitis is pain in your abdomen, or belly. If you have appendicitis, the pain in your abdomen may begin near your belly button and move lower and to your right. It can start suddenly and may even wake you if you’re sleeping. The pain can get worse when you move around, take deep breaths, cough, or sneeze. It may be severe and may feel different from any pain you’ve ever felt. Some other possible signs of appendicitis include a loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, fever and swelling in the abdomen. However, some people who are found to have appendicitis, especially children, may not have any of these typical symptoms. Talk with your doctor right away if you or your child are experiencing any pain or discomfort. A doctor can evaluate the symptoms you or your child are experiencing and provide a diagnosis or determine other possible reasons for such complications.

Feb. 23, 2023 | Appendicitis, an inflammation of the appendix, can cause serious complications. To determine if the pain you’re suffering is appendicitis, your doctor will perform a physical exam and possibly imaging tests to see the pain is caused by a blockage or something else. When an appendix ruptures, it can spread infection throughout your abdomen, causing a condition known as peritonitis. Possibly life-threatening, this condition requires immediate surgery to remove the appendix and clean your abdominal cavity. If your appendix bursts, you may develop a pocket of infection called an abscess. In most cases, a surgeon drains the abscess by placing a tube through your abdominal wall into the abscess. The tube is left in place for about two weeks, and you’re given antibiotics to clear the infection. Once the infection is clear, you’ll have surgery to remove the appendix. In some cases, the abscess is drained, and the appendix is removed immediately.

Feb. 23, 2023 | Doctors typically treat appendicitis by removing the appendix, a procedure known as an appendectomy. Prompt surgery decreases the chances that your appendix will burst and cause additional complications. Depending upon the circumstances of the patient, an appendectomy can be performed one of two ways, through an open incision or with a laparoscope. In the open technique, an incision is made in the lower right side of the abdomen, through the skin, muscle wall and peritoneum. The appendix is located and then carefully freed from the surrounding structures and removed. In the laparoscopic technique, several small incisions are made in the abdomen. In one incision a laparoscope is inserted. The laparoscope has a tiny lens to which a TV camera is attached. The appendectomy is performed by the surgeon while looking at the TV monitor. Small instruments are inserted in the other incisions and used to remove the appendix.