The appendix is a finger-shaped tube that’s about four inches long and is connected to your cecum.
Experts think the appendi appendix serves no useful purpose. Whatever the case, removing the appendix through an appendectomy generally doesn’t cause any subsequent health problems.
Your appendix can become inflamed and filled with pus (a fluid made up of dead cells and bacteria) if an abdominal infection spreads to the organ, or if an obstruction (stool) blocks the area inside of your appendix called the appendiceal lumen, or appendix lumen.
This condition, known as appendicitis, is marked by sharp pain that begins near the navel and then localizes over time to the lower right abdomen, where the appendix is located. The pain gets worse with movement, deep breaths, coughing, and sneezing.
Other appendicitis symptoms include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation
Diarrhea
Inability to pass gas
Loss of appetite
Fever with Chills
Abdominal swelling
The standard treatment for appendicitis is an appendectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the appendix.
COMPLICATIONS OF A RUPTURED APPENDIX
But if doctors don’t remove the appendix quickly — usually within 24 to 72 hours after symptoms begin — the organ may rupture, or burst. The result is a “perforated appendix.” Appendix develops a small tear, which allows its contents to leak out into the rest of the abdomen and potentially cause other complications such as peritonitis, a severe inflammation of the intestinal lining, or a serious blood infection called septicemia.
Dr. Gaurav Bansal
Laparoscopic, Bariatric Surgeon