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Appendicitis: Surgeries
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Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of emergency abdominal surgery in children. It is more common in males than in females, and the incidence of this condition peaks in the late teens and early twenties.
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If the diagnosis of appendicitis is not certain, people with equivocal signs of appendicitis may be watched and sometimes treated with antibiotics. People with definite appendicitis have surgery to remove the appendix, which is called an appendectomy. Doctors may use laparoscopic surgery for appendectomy. This technique involves making several tiny cuts in the abdomen and inserting a miniature camera and surgical instruments. The surgeon then removes the appendix with the instruments, so there is usually no need to make a large incision in the abdomen. People can live a normal life without their appendix--changes in diet, exercise, or other lifestyle factors are not necessary.
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The most frequent complication of appendicitis is perforation. Perforation of the appendix can lead to a periappendiceal abscess (a collection of infected pus) or diffuse peritonitis (infection of the entire lining of the abdomen and the pelvis). The major reason for appendiceal perforation is delay in diagnosis and treatment. In general, the longer the delay between diagnosis and surgery, the more likely is perforation. The risk of perforation 36 hours after the onset of symptoms is at least 15%. Therefore, once appendicitis is diagnosed, surgery should be done without unnecessary delay.
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Early diagnosis of appendicitis in a child can reduce the hospital stay by as much as 12 days following surgery by lowering the risk of complications. If a child with appendicitis has surgery within 24 hours after symptoms are first noticed, there is a 75 percent chance the appendix can be removed before it ruptures. But if surgery is delayed for even one day, the likelihood of avoiding a ruptured appendix goes down to only 20 percent.
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One of the most common reasons for abdominal surgery, appendicitis can occur in anyone. However, the majority of people with this condition are aged 10 to 30. Appendicitis symptoms can vary from person to person, but the most common symptom tends to be an aching pain near the navel. The pain will generally shift down and to the right in your abdomen. However, the location of pain may vary as well from person to person. Pain may become more severe as the inflammation spreads to nearby tissues, especially to the inner lining of your abdomen, called the peritoneum.
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Sometimes tests can't show for certain that you have appendicitis, but your doctor may strongly suspect that you do because of your symptoms. In this case, your doctor probably will recommend you have surgery to have your appendix taken out. Most of the time, the doctor is right and the appendix is infected. During surgery your doctor may find that your appendix is normal and something else caused your pain. Your doctor will go ahead and remove your appendix. You can live just fine without it, and taking it out gets rid of any chance that it could cause problems later.
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