APPENDICITIS – CHRONIC APPENDICITIS
There is really no such condition as chronic appendicitis where the inflammation continues on for months or years.
Rapidly progressing acute appendicitis may go on to rupture of the organ where the infected contents are spilled into the general abdominal cavity and this causes peritonitis.
Even in this modern age, the mortality for ruptured appendix may be as high as five per cent, whereas the mortality for operation before rupture is so low as to be negligible. This is the main reason why early operation is advocated.
Sometimes the diagnosis is in doubt but appendicitis is the most likely cause of the trouble. If the condition appears to be progressing, the surgeon may decide to go ahead and operate, as there is no other way of confirming the diagnosis.
If he delays until he is certain, the appendix may rupture and the patient face greater risks.
Analysing appendices removed at operation and finding that a large number show no evidence of inflammation is not necessarily a reflection on the poor judgment of the surgeon. This is what makes invalid some criticism of doctors for performing “unnecessary” operations.
If the doctor is certain of the diagnosis, it is usual to make an incision in the right lower portion of the abdomen, directly over the appendix.
*207/71/1*
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.