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Updated: Aug 15 2017

Appendicitis

Snap Shot
  • 24-year-old presents with nausea, vomiting, constipation, and periumbilical pain that settles in the lower right quadrant. On Physical Exam she has tenderness and guarding in the lower right quadrant.
Introduction
  • Increased frequency 10-30 years of age
  • More common in US due to low fiber diet
  • Most common etiologies are 
    • lymphoid hyperplasia
    • fecolith obstruction
Presentation
  • Symptoms
    • loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting
    • fever
    • pain moves from periumbilical area to LRQ
    • diarrhea only with retrocecal appendicitis
  • Physical exam 
    • Blumberg sign
      • rebound tenderness at McBurney's point
    • Psoas/Obturator sign
      • raise the patient's right leg with the knee flexed
      • rotate the leg internally at the hip
      • increased abdominal pain indicates a positive obturator sign
    • Rovsing's sign
      • pressure over the descending colon causes pain in the RLQ
Evaluation
  • Labs
    • absolute neutrophillic leukocytosis and left shift
    • always perform pregnancy test
  • Physical Exam
    • perform rectal exam, tenderness suggests inflamed posterior appendix
  • Imaging 
    • Abdominal US first in pediatric and pregnant patients to spare ionizing radiation 
    • Abdominal CT scan in adults or pediatric patients without a diagnostic US
Differential
  • PID, ovarian torsion, gyn disorders, volvulus, gastroenteritis, ectopic pregnancy, pyelonephritis, diverticulits, colorectal cancer, IBD, cholecystitis, Meckel's, mesenteric ischemia
Treatment
  • Laparoscopic Appendectomy
  • CT guided drainage of abscess
Prognosis, Prevention, and Complications
  • Perforation
  • Peritonitis
  • Periappendiceal abscess
  • Pylephlebitis (inflammation of the portal vein)
  • Septicemia
Question
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