Appendicitis and appendectomy or appendicectomy

What are the types of appendicitis?

• Acute Appendicitis– Sudden appendix pain in the abdomen.
• Sub-Acute Appendicitis– The pain of acute appendicitis tends to subside spontaneously.
• Chronic Appendicitis– An old, healed acute appendicitis, shows scarring and thickening of the walls.
• Recurrent Appendicitis– Episodes of pain which re-occur after subsiding.
• Non-Obstructive Appendicitis– Not critical, however, in some cases it may cause swelling and thickening of membrane that covers all abdominal organs.This is called as peritonitis

What are the signs and symptoms of appendicitis?

Appendicitis may start with a mild, on and off pain in the stomach that travels to the lower right side, around the location of the appendix. This pain may gradually become severe and constant.

Signs and symptoms of appendicitis may differ from person to person. The most common symptom is severe pain in the lower-right abdomen, other symptoms may include

• Bloating of stomach
• Constipation or diarrhoea
• Loss of appetite
• Low-grade fever (temperature ranges between 100.2˚F to 102.2˚F), may increase gradually
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness

Symptoms of appendicitis in adults:

A sudden pain that originates in the lower right side of the abdomen or near the navel and then shifting to the lower right abdomen is a common symptom of appendicitis in adults. Movements like coughing or walking or those causing jarring aggravate the pain.

Symptoms of appendicitis in children:

Pain beginning in the belly button area and moving to the lower right abdomen area is a common symptom of appendix in children. With pain, the child may also present with fever and “rebound tenderness,” which is a sharp pain that develops on applying pressure on the lower right area and then releasing immediately.

How is appendicitis diagnosed?

Your surgeon may be able to diagnose appendicitis by:

• Medical history; right abdominal pain (appendix pain area) being one of the hallmarks of appendicitis
• Physical examination including assessment of the pain by pressing specific areas of the abdomen.
• Laboratory tests:
  • Blood test
  • Urine test
• Imaging tests:
• Laboratory tests:
  • Ultrasound
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
  • Computerized tomography (CT) scan
    

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