For uncomplicated appendicitis, some patients may choose to defer surgery in preference of antibiotic treatment. The major benefit of medical intervention is avoiding the potential complications of surgery, but it carries a risk of the appendicitis recurring. Other patients may choose to undergo surgery to remove the appendix—an appendectomy—which will completely treat the appendicitis and prevent recurrence. For complicated appendicitis, such as a ruptured appendix, surgery is emergently warranted to prevent bloodstream infection and death.
Acute appendicitis has a low mortality rate 0. Appendectomy, like all surgical interventions, has a risk of complications, such as bleeding and infection, which a surgeon will explain in detail when discussing treatment options. The vast majority of patients tolerate surgery and recover to their normal selves. An appendectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the appendix, a non-functional organ attached to the colon. Laparoscopy refers to the method of surgery, which involves making small incisions in the abdomen to minimize scarring, pain, and improve recovery.
Some surgeons may offer robotic appendectomy, a variation of laparoscopic surgery that uses a robotic surgical machine to improve precision. In certain complicated cases, the surgery may need to be converted from a laparoscopic to an open surgery.
The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. The abdominal area is disinfected and draped appropriately. Several small cuts are made in the abdomen, through which a surgical camera and instruments are inserted to visualize and remove the appendix.
The appendix is excised and removed through one of the small abdominal incisions. The incisions are then sutured, and the operation is complete.
As a surgical intervention, appendectomy carries a small risk of bleeding, infection, and injury to the abdominal organs. Be sure to speak with a surgeon about any concerns about potential surgery risks when discussing treatment options. Abdominal imaging, either with ultrasound or CT scan. Some patients may choose to try antibiotics for uncomplicated appendicitis before undergoing surgery. Once in hospital, your temperature, pulse, breathing pattern and blood pressure will be charted.
If the surgeon suspects your appendix shows signs that it may rupture, you will be taken to the operating theatre as soon as possible. Where the diagnosis is less clear, further examination using methods such as CT scans or ultrasound and blood tests may be needed before a decision to operate can be made. The type of operation you have will depend on how severe your appendicitis is. The surgeon will discuss your options with you. If there is anything you want to know or are not clear about, it is important to ask your doctor or surgeon to explain it in terms you can understand.
A laparoscopic appendectomy may need to become open surgery if the appendix has ruptured. Once the appendix is accessed by either open or laparoscopic surgery, the blood vessels that supply it are clamped and the appendix is cut and removed. In laparoscopic appendectomy, the appendix is removed through one of the small 'keyhole' incisions.
If your appendix ruptures and you develop peritonitis, you will have antibiotics prescribed. Your surgeon will need to drain out the infected material and disinfect your abdominal cavity. A nasogastric tube feeding tube through the nose may need to be inserted into your stomach for a day or two, and intravenous fluids will be administered into a vein in your arm. You can expect a longer hospital stay. All surgery carries some degree of risk. One of the most common complications following appendectomy is infection.
Around 20 per cent of people who have a ruptured appendix develop an abscess ball of pus within the abdominal cavity about two weeks or so after the appendectomy. These abscesses must be surgically drained. Another common type of infection following appendectomy is infection of the wound.
The appendix appears to be a redundant organ, since the human body manages quite well without it. There is no chance of ever experiencing appendicitis again, because the appendix is entirely removed. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. A 'tummy tuck', or abdominoplasty, is cosmetic surgery to remove fat and excess loose skin from the abdomen.
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A handful of non-urgent elective surgical procedures have been found to have limited benefits, except in very specific circumstances.
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Removal of the appendix is one of the most commonly performed operations in the UK, and serious or long-term complications are rare. The use of general anaesthetic also carries some risks, such as the risk of an allergic reaction or inhaling stomach contents, leading to pneumonia. The lump is made of appendix and fatty tissue, and is the body's way of trying to deal with the problem and heal itself.
If an appendix mass is found during an examination, your doctor may decide it's not necessary to operate immediately.
Instead, you'll be given a course of antibiotics and an appointment to have an operation a few weeks later, when the mass has settled. There's not enough clear evidence to suggest that antibiotics could be used to treat appendicitis as an alternative to surgery. Page last reviewed: 18 February Next review due: 18 February This is because it's considered safer to remove the appendix than risk it bursting.
Appendicectomy appendectomy Removal of the appendix is carried out under general anaesthetic using either keyhole or open surgery. Keyhole surgery Keyhole surgery laparoscopy is usually the preferred method of removing the appendix because the recovery tends to be quicker than with open surgery. The operation involves making 3 or 4 small cuts incisions in your tummy abdomen.
Special instruments are inserted, including: a tube that gas is pumped through to inflate your abdomen — this allows the surgeon to see your appendix more clearly and gives them more room to work a laparoscope — a small tube with a light and a camera, which relays images of the inside of the abdomen to a television monitor small surgical tools used to remove the appendix After your appendix has been removed, dissolvable stitches may be used to close the incisions.
If regular stitches are used, they'll need to be removed at your GP surgery 7 to 10 days later. Open surgery In some circumstances, keyhole surgery is not recommended and open surgery is used instead.
These include: when the appendix has already burst and formed a lump called an appendix mass when the surgeon is not experienced in laparoscopic removal people who have previously had open abdominal surgery In open surgery, a single larger cut is made in the lower right-hand side of the abdomen to remove the appendix. This is a precautionary measure and it's rare for a serious problem to be found.
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