In the United States, appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal pain resulting in surgery. Over 5 percent of Americans experience it at some point in their lives. If left untreated, appendicitis can cause your appendix to burst. This can cause bacteria to spill into your abdominal cavity, which can be serious and sometimes fatal.
Appendicitis pain may start off as mild cramping. It often becomes more steady and severe over time. It may start in your upper abdomen or bellybutton area, before moving to the lower right quadrant of your abdomen. These treatments may cause your appendix to burst. Contact your doctor if you have tenderness in the right side of your abdomen along with any of other symptoms of appendicitis. Appendicitis can quickly become a medical emergency. Get the information you need to recognize this serious condition.
In many cases, the exact cause of appendicitis is unknown. Experts believe it develops when part of the appendix becomes obstructed, or blocked. When your appendix becomes blocked, bacteria can multiply inside it.
This can lead to the formation of pus and swelling, which can cause painful pressure in your abdomen. Other conditions can also cause abdominal pain. Click here to read about other potential causes of pain in your lower right abdomen. If your doctor suspects you might have appendicitis, they will perform a physical exam. They will check for tenderness in the lower right part of your abdomen and swelling or rigidity.
Depending on the results of your physical exam, your doctor may order one or more tests to check for signs of appendicitis or rule out other potential causes of your symptoms. To check for signs of infection, your doctor may order a complete blood count CBC. To conduct this test, they will collect a sample of your blood and send it to a lab for analysis. Appendicitis is often accompanied by bacterial infection.
An infection in your urinary tract or other abdominal organs may also cause symptoms similar to those of appendicitis. To rule out urinary tract infection or kidney stones as a potential cause of your symptoms, your doctor may use urinalysis. This is also known as a urine test.
Ectopic pregnancy can be mistaken for appendicitis. It happens when a fertilized egg implants itself in a fallopian tube, rather than the uterus. This can be a medical emergency. If your doctor suspects you might have an ectopic pregnancy, they may perform a pregnancy test. To conduct this test, they will collect a sample of your urine or blood.
They may also use a transvaginal ultrasound to learn where the fertilized egg has implanted. To examine your reproductive organs, your doctor may perform a pelvic exam. During this exam, they will visually inspect your vagina, vulva, and cervix. They will also manually inspect your uterus and ovaries. They may collect a sample of tissue for testing. To check for inflammation of your appendix, your doctor might order imaging tests of your abdomen.
This can also help them identify other potential causes of your symptoms, such as an abdominal abscess or fecal impaction. In some cases, you might need to stop eating food for a period of time before your test. Your doctor can help you learn how to prepare for it. Pneumonia in the lower right lobe of your lungs can also cause symptoms similar to appendicitis.
If your doctor thinks you might have pneumonia, they will likely order a chest X-ray. They may also order a CT scan to create detailed images of your lungs. If your doctor suspects you might have appendicitis, they may order an abdominal ultrasound. This imaging test can help them check for signs of inflammation, an abscess, or other problems with your appendix.
Your doctor may order other imaging tests as well. For example, they may order a CT scan. An ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to create pictures of your organs, while a CT scan uses radiation.
Compared to an ultrasound, a CT scan creates more detailed images of your organs. However, there are some health risks associated with radiation exposure from a CT scan. Your doctor can help you understand the potential benefits and risks of different imaging test. In rare cases, appendicitis may get better without surgery. But in most cases, you will need surgery to remove your appendix.
This is known as an appendectomy. To start, they will give you antibiotics. Then they will use a needle to drain the abscess of pus. To treat appendicitis, your doctor may use a type of surgery known as appendectomy.
During this procedure, they will remove your appendix. Your doctor may use a lubricated, gloved finger to examine your lower rectum digital rectal exam.
Women of childbearing age may be given a pelvic exam to check for possible gynecological problems that could be causing the pain. Appendicitis treatment usually involves surgery to remove the inflamed appendix. Before surgery you may be given a dose of antibiotics to treat infection. Appendectomy can be performed as open surgery using one abdominal incision about 2 to 4 inches 5 to 10 centimeters long laparotomy.
Or the surgery can be done through a few small abdominal incisions laparoscopic surgery. During a laparoscopic appendectomy, the surgeon inserts special surgical tools and a video camera into your abdomen to remove your appendix. In general, laparoscopic surgery allows you to recover faster and heal with less pain and scarring.
It may be better for older adults and people with obesity. But laparoscopic surgery isn't appropriate for everyone. If your appendix has ruptured and infection has spread beyond the appendix or you have an abscess, you may need an open appendectomy, which allows your surgeon to clean the abdominal cavity.
If your appendix has burst and an abscess has formed around it, the abscess may be drained by placing a tube through your skin into the abscess. Appendectomy can be performed several weeks later after controlling the infection.
Expect a few weeks of recovery from an appendectomy, or longer if your appendix burst. To help your body heal:. 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. Phone: Symptoms Because of the risk of rupture, appendicitis is considered an emergency. Symptoms include pain in the right side of the abdomen nausea vomiting constipation diarrhea inability to pass gas low fever that begins after other symptoms abdominal swelling anorexia The pain usually begins near the navel and moves down and to the right.
Diagnosis The doctor bases an appendicitis diagnosis on symptoms, a physical exam, blood tests to check for signs of infection such as a high white blood cell count, and urine tests to rule out a urinary tract infection.
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