Appendicitis – Treatment

Transcript

Gold standard treatment for appendicitis is an operation to remove the appendix completely, which is known as an appendectomy since appendicitis is potentially life-threatening. If left untreated doctors will usually err on the side of caution and operate, even if there hasn’t been affirmed diagnosis, prompt surgery decreases the chance that the appendix will burst, which will lead to a fairly quick recovery. However, if the surgery is done after the appendix bursts, recovery can take much longer and you will typically need course of antibiotic treatment to prevent infection. Even if a surgeon finds a normal appendix during surgery, they will probably remove the appendix just to eliminate the future possibility of appendicitis. There are a few different options that a surgeon might consider to remove the appendix, depending on a number of factors. Laparoscopic surgery involves several small incisions and special surgical tools that are fed through these incisions to remove the appendix.

This form of surgery leads to fewer complications, such as wound infections, pain after surgery, and often reduces the hospital stay a laparotomy involves removing the appendix through a single incision in the right lower quadrant or area of the abdomen. The advantage of open procedures are shorter operative time and a lower rate of interrupt abdominal abscesses, but more adhesion bowel obstructions can occur, which are complication of surgeries. After surgery is recommended that you limit physical activity for the first three to five days after a laparoscopic surgery, or even 10 to 14 days for a laparotomy, should you need surgery to remove your appendix? You can rest assured that the knowledge that you can live with a completely normal life after having an appendix antibiotics can also be an option for those who are unfit for surgery. But typically in America, we still opt for surgery versus antibiotic treatments.