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Appendicitis is an inflammation of the inner lining of the vermiform appendix
Appendix is continuation of the caecum and is first delineated during 5th month of gestation Worm-like extension --> hence called Vermiform Average length is 8-10 cm ( range 2-20 cm ) Has no fixed position ( hence the variation in presentation and diagnostic difficulty )
No longer thought as vestigeal -repository for commensal bacteria that assist in normal digestive processes and may allow for recolonization of the intestinal flora in times of enteric bacterial destruction ( Rosen's )
Faecolith Normal stool Lymphoid hyperplasia Indigestible food Mucus Parasites Tumours-Increased intraluminal pressure Bacterial overgrowth Ischaemia Necrosis-Perforation & other complications as Appendix mass AdhesionsAppendix abscess Peritonitis Sepsis Death
No known genetic cause but increased risk has been observed in some studies in those with a positive family history
Most common acute surgical abdominal emergency Most common non-obstetric surgical emergency in pregnancy Most common between ages 10-20 yrs More common in males Lifetime risk is 8.6 % in males and 6.9 % in females Lifetime appendicectomy rate is 12 % in males and 23 % in females Perforation is found in 13-20 % Normal appendix is found in 15-40 % of patients...
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