Appendicitis

Need your appendix out? How about scarless surgery through the navel

A new study suggests that surgery for appendicitis that uses a pinhole incision through the navel may be a feasible alternative to traditional appendectomies. Published early online in the British Journal of Surgery, the fi ...

Surgery created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Blocking digestive enzymes may reverse shock, stop multiorgan failure

New research from the University of California, San Diego published in the Jan. 23 issue of Science Translational Medicine moves researchers closer to understanding and developing treatments for shock, sepsis ...

Medical research created Jan 23, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Many more doctors using electronic health records

(HealthDay)—More than two-thirds of family doctors now use electronic health records, and the percentage doing so doubled between 2005 and 2011, a new study finds.

Health created Jan 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study reports racial disparities in pediatric appendicitis treatment tied to hospital type

When researchers from UCLA Medical Center investigated the link between racial disparities and appendicitis outcomes in children, they found that the type of hospital in which black, Hispanic and other minority patients receive ...

Surgery created Dec 28, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Ultrasound diagnoses appendicitis without X-rays

Children suspected of having appendicitis are more likely to receive CT scans, which involve radiation, if they are evaluated at a general hospital, a new study by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has ...

Pediatrics created Dec 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

A urine test for Kawasaki disease

A set of proteins detected in urine by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital may prove to be the first biomarkers for Kawasaki disease, an uncommon but increasingly prevalent disease which causes inflammation of blood ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Dec 20, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Speed bumps could be a new way to help diagnose appendicitis

The presence of pain when travelling over speed bumps is associated with an increased likelihood of acute appendicitis, among patients coming into hospital with abdominal pain, finds a study in the BMJ Christmas issue and pu ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Dec 17, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

CT use up for children with abdominal pain seen in ER

(HealthDay)—The use of CT scans on children being brought to emergency rooms with abdominal pain has skyrocketed, new research reveals.

Pediatrics created Oct 08, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Antibiotics could replace surgery for appendicitis

Although the standard approach to acute appendicitis is to remove the appendix, a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reveals that treatment with antibiotics can be just as effective in many ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Sep 26, 2012 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Doctors treat patients atop remote Andean peak through study of Acute Mountain Sickness

Working on a remote, barren peak in the Bolivian Andes, Ryan Paterson and his fellow emergency room doctors came face-to-face with everything from altitude sickness to appendicitis to complications of sickle ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Sep 18, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A fresh look at mental illness: Researcher points toward a new way to classify disorders

Ask Assistant Professor of Psychology Joshua Buckholtz to explain his research into mental disorders, and he’ll likely start with a question that’s got more to do with basic medicine: When is the ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jul 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 8

Study shows appendectomies not a threat to fertility

(Medical Xpress) -- Having the appendix removed does not affect a woman's chance of having a baby, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Dundee.

Obstetrics & gynaecology created Jul 04, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Obese appendectomy patients have fewer complications with minimally invasive operations

Obese patients who need to have their appendixes removed fare better after a minimally invasive surgical procedure rather than an open operation, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the Am ...

Surgery created Jun 27, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

More hospitalizations, higher charges, for kids with high blood pressure

Hospitalizations for children with high blood pressure and related charges dramatically increased during 10 years ending in 2006, according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

Cardiology created Jun 18, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Western diet changes gut bacteria and triggers colitis in those at risk

Certain saturated fats that are common in the modern Western diet can initiate a chain of events leading to complex immune disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in people with a genetic predisposition, according ...

Medical research created Jun 13, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to peritonitis and shock. Reginald Fitz first described acute and chronic appendicitis in 1886, and it has been recognized as one of the most common causes of severe acute abdominal pain worldwide. A correctly diagnosed non-acute form of appendicitis is known as "rumbling appendicitis".

The term "pseudoappendicitis" is used to describe a condition mimicking appendicitis. It can be associated with Yersinia enterocolitica.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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