Appendicitis
Treatment for appendicitis:Specific treatment for appendicitis will be determined by your physician based on your:
- age, overall health, and medical history
- tolerance of specific medicines, procedures, or therapies
- expectations for the course of the condition
- opinion or preference
- extent of condition
Because of the likelihood of the appendix rupturing and causing a severe, life-threatening infection, physicians will typically recommend that the appendix be removed with an operation.
The appendix may be removed in two ways:
1. open method
Under anesthesia, an incision is made in the lower right-hand side of the abdomen. The surgeon finds the appendix and removes it. If the appendix has ruptured, a small drainage tube may be placed to allow pus and other fluids that are in the abdomen to drain out. The tube will be removed in a few days, when the surgeon feels the abdominal infection has subsided.
2. laparoscopic method
This procedure uses several small incisions and a camera called a laparoscope to look inside the abdomen during the operation. Under anesthesia, the instruments the surgeon uses to remove the appendix are placed through several small incisions, and the laparoscope is placed through another incision. This method is not usually performed if the appendix has ruptured.
Antibiotics, such as cefazolin and metronidazole (Flagyl), may be administered to prevent surgical wound infection
Typically, without a rupture, recovery after an appendectomy is just a few days. If the appendix has ruptured, recovery is longer and antibiotics are necessary.
You can live a completely normal life without your appendix. Changes in diet, exercise, or other lifestyle modifications are usually not necessary.
References:
1. Pittman-Waller, VA, Myers, JG, Stewart, RM, et al. Appendicitis: Why so complicated? Analysis of 5755 consecutive appendectomies. Am Surg 2000; 66:548
2. Terasawa, T, Blackmore, CC, Bent, S, Kohlwes, RJ. Systematic review: computed tomography and ultrasonography to detect acute appendicitis in adults and adolescents. Ann Intern Med 2004; 141:537.
3. Flum, DR, McClure, TD, Morris, A, Koepsell, T. Misdiagnosis of appendicitis and the use of diagnostic imaging. J Am Coll Surg 2005; 201:933.
4. Schuler, JG, Shortsleeve, MJ, Goldenson, RS, et al. Is there a role for abdominal computed tomographic scans in appendicitis? Arch Surg 1998; 133:373.
5. Hof, KH, van Lankeren, W, Krestin, GP, et al. Surgical validation of unenhanced helical computed tomography in acute appendicitis. Br J Surg 2004; 91:1641.
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