Appendectomy – removal of the appendix. Complications after appendectomy

Appendectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the appendix. It is a commonly used procedure. It is most often performed due to acute appendicitis or in the case of an appendicular abscess.

Appendicitis

The most common cause of the appendoctomi procedure is acute appendicitis. It is an abdominal disease caused by the retention of food content in the appendix. As a result, the clogging of the appendix causes an increase in pressure and impaired blood circulation within it. Later on, tissue necrosis may appear. It is estimated that appendicitis is one of the most common causes of an acute attack of abdominal pain.

The symptoms of appendicitis depend on a variety of factors, including the individual layout of the internal organs, their anatomical position and exposure to potential irritation of the appendix. The most common symptoms of appendicitis include severe pain in the upper abdomen, near the navel. Over time, the pain moves to the right hip. This displacement of pain is a typical symptom of appendicitis. As inflammation develops, the pain intensity also increases. Additional symptoms may also appear, such as:

1. nausea and vomiting
2. lack of appetite
3. higher temperature,
4. increased heart rate
5. pressure pain at the McBurney point (located next to the appendix) in the case of non-irritated peritoneum,
6. Blumberg’s symptom: tense muscles in the abdominal wall and sharp pain after releasing pressure,
7. Jaworski’s symptom: the patient in the supine position raises his right leg up and the doctor presses his fingers on the appendix; when increasing pain occurs while the patient is lowering his leg, it is a sign of appendicitis,
8. Rovsing symptom, consisting in specialized hand pressure on the area of ​​the left iliac fossa, and then its slow movement towards the flexion of the colon; if the patient develops pain during the examination, it is a sign of inflammation of the appendix,
9. stool and gas retention
10. pain during rectal exams
11. excessive urination (this symptom occurs when the appendix is ​​located near the pelvis).

In order to fully diagnose the inflammation of the appendix, it is recommended to perform a blood count and a urine sample. Moreover, an ultrasound examination is performed to recognize the shape and size of the appendix and an X-ray examination of the abdominal cavity.

Read more: Heal, not excise

Treatment of the appendix – appendectomy

The only way to cure the inflammation of the appendix is ​​to have it surgically removed. Appendoctomy is performed in several different ways:

1. performing a classic incision (about 5-10 cm long) on ​​the surface of the abdomen, and then intervening in the tissues; the downside of this method is the fact that it leaves a clear mark on the body in the form of a scar after the surgery,
2. Laparoscopic appendoctomy of the appendix, during which one or more trocars are inserted, creating a channel leading deep into the abdominal cavity (they leave smaller scars, about 0,5-1 cm).
3. emergence of the appendix through the navel.

Depending on the method chosen, the degree of inflammation and the size of the organ to be removed, the operation may take a different amount of time. Most often it ranges from 20 minutes to one and a half hours.

After the appendoktomi is performed, it is recommended that the patient stay in the hospital for several days. Immediately after the operation, you should spend the first few to several hours lying down.

Complications of appendicitis

Although appendoctomy is a relatively safe and frequently performed procedure, there are several potential complications that develop after its performance. The most common are:

1. postoperative wound infection,
2. peritonitis,
3. bleeding into the peritoneal cavity,
4. wound suppuration,
5. hematoma in the wound,
6. damage to part of the large intestine, small intestine or bladder,
7. abdominal abscess,
8. hernia.