Inflammation of the appendix causes pain in your lower right abdomen. Surgery is usually required to remove the inflamed appendix. Before surgery, the patient may be given a dose of antibiotics to treat the infection.
Diagnosis of inflamed appendix includes certain tests and procedures that include:
Physical examination of the patient to assess the pain. The doctor may apply gentle pressure on the inflamed area and when the pressure is suddenly released, appendicitis pain will often feel worse, signaling that the adjacent peritoneum is inflamed.
A blood test allows the doctor to check for a high white blood cell count, which may indicate an infection. A urine test is done to have a urinalysis to make sure that a urinary tract infection or a kidney stone is not causing the pain. Imaging tests like an abdominal X-ray, an abdominal ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be recommended to help confirm an inflamed appendix.
Inflamed appendix treatment can be performed as open surgery using abdominal incision or can be done through a few small abdominal incisions (laparoscopic surgery). During a laparoscopic appendectomy, the surgeon inserts special surgical tools and a video camera into the patient’s abdomen to remove the inflamed appendix. Laparoscopic surgery allows the patient to recover faster and heal with less pain and scarring. It may be better for older adults and people with obesity.
Draining an abscess before appendix surgery is an important medical procedure. If the appendix has burst and an abscess has formed around it, the abscess may be drained by placing a tube through the skin into the abscess. Appendectomy can be performed several weeks later after controlling the infection. Post inflamed appendix surgery, the doctor prescribes medications to prevent the pain.
