1. Appendicitis & Appendectomy Slideshow Pictures
2. Medical Illustrations of Appendix Image Collection
3. Take the Appendicitis Quiz

Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

Bhupinder Anand, MD

The best treatment for appendicitis is surgery to remove the appendix (appendectomy) before the appendix ruptures. While awaiting surgery, the patient will be given IV fluids to keep well hydrated. The patient will not be allowed to eat or drink because doing so may cause complications with the anesthesia during surgery.

Surgery is commonly performed via laparoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure where small "keyhole" incisions are made in the abdomen and the appendix is removed with the assistance of a small camera guided by the surgeon. However, in some cases it may be necessary to do an open abdominal procedure to remove the appendix.

Occasionally, surgery for appendicitis reveals a non-inflamed appendix (negative appendectomy), with high rates in infants, the elderly, and young women. However, the use of imaging studies (CT scans, ultrasounds) appears to have reduced the negative appendectomy rate to 7%-12%. The difficulty in making a definite diagnosis of this medical problem and the risk of missing an acutely inflamed appendix (and the patient becoming very ill due to perforation) makes a certain rate of misdiagnosis inevitable. Women in particular have a high rate of negative appendectomy as ovarian and uterine problems make the diagnosis more difficult. CT scanning prior to surgery has been shown to decrease this percentage to closer to 7% to 8% in women.

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