AppendicitisSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition in which your appendix gets inflamed. The appendix is a small pouch attached to the end of the large intestine.
Appendicitis is a very common reason for emergency surgery. The problem most often occurs when the appendix becomes blocked by feces, a foreign object, a tumor or a parasite in rare cases.
The symptoms of appendicitis can vary. It can be hard to detect appendicitis in young children, older people, and women of childbearing age.
The first symptom is often pain around the belly button or mid upper abdomen. Pain may be minor at first, but becomes more sharp and severe. You may also have a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and a low-grade fever.
The pain tends to move into the right lower part of your belly. The pain tends to focus at a spot directly above the appendix called McBurney point. This most often occurs 12 to 24 hours after the illness starts.
Your pain may be worse when you walk, cough, or make sudden movements. Later symptoms may include:
- Chills and shaking
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Hard stools
- Nausea and vomiting
Most of the time, a surgeon will remove your appendix as soon as you are diagnosed.
If a CT scan shows that you have an abscess, you may be treated with antibiotics first. You will have your appendix removed after the infection and swelling have gone away.
The tests used to diagnose appendicitis are not perfect. As a result, the operation may show that your appendix is normal. In that case, the surgeon will remove your appendix and explore the rest of your abdomen to check for other causes of your pain.
Office
Frederick Drake is a General Surgeon practicing medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been practicing medicine for over 18 years. Dr. Drake is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Appendicitis. He is also highly rated in 12 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Appendicitis, Hyperparathyroidism, Gallbladder Adenocarcinoma, Appendectomy, and Parathyroidectomy. Dr. Drake is currently accepting new patients.
Kuojen Tsao is a Pediatric Surgeon and a General Surgeon practicing medicine in Katy, Texas. Dr. Tsao is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Appendicitis. He is also highly rated in 13 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Appendicitis, Myelomeningocele, Hernia, Appendectomy, and Pancreaticoduodenectomy. Dr. Tsao is currently accepting new patients.
Johns Hopkins All Children's Outpatient Care, St. Petersburg
Nicole Chandler is a General Surgeon practicing medicine in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Dr. Chandler is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Appendicitis. She is also highly rated in 7 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Appendicitis, Pectus Excavatum, Gangrene, Appendectomy, and Endoscopy. Dr. Chandler is board certified in American Board Of Surgery. Dr. Chandler is currently accepting new patients.
Most people recover quickly after surgery if the appendix is removed before it ruptures.
If your appendix ruptures before surgery, recovery may take longer. You are also more likely to develop problems, such as:
- An abscess
- Blockage of the intestine
- Infection inside the abdomen (peritonitis)
- Infection of the wound after surgery
Contact your provider if you have pain in the lower-right portion of your belly, or other symptoms of appendicitis.
Summary: To evaluate whether a postoperative therapeutic strategy, Fast Track, aimed at shortening hospital stay in pediatric patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated acute appendicitis, yields outcomes that are not inferior to the standard therapeutic model in terms of the combined variable of adverse events within 30 days postoperatively (including postoperative abdominal abscess, pe...
Summary: This study compares two ways of treating acute uncomplicated appendicitis, which is a mild form of appendicitis. In the Direct Visualization ERAT group, participants will receive Endoscopic Retrograde Appendicitis Therapy (ERAT). This is a minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment that uses a flexible endoscope passed through the colon to reach the appendix, clear the blockage, and drain the infe...
Published Date: April 21, 2025
Published By: Todd Eisner, MD, Private practice specializing in Gastroenterology in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida at Gastroenterology Consultants of Boca Raton. Affiliate Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University School of Medicine. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Carlberg DJ, Himelfarb NT. Acute appendicitis. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 79.
Expert Panel on Gastrointestinal Imaging:, Garcia EM, Camacho MA, et al. ACR appropriateness criteria right lower quadrant pain-suspected appendicitis. J Am Coll Radiol. 2018;15(11S):S373-S387. PMID: 30392606 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30392606/.
Richmond B. The appendix. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 51.
Rosenthal MD, Sarosi GS. Appendicitis. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 120.
Sifri CD, Madoff LC. Appendicitis. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 78.