Appendix

The appendix is an antimesenteric cecal outpouching that forms in the fifth month of gestation. It is a hollow, blind-ending tube approximately 11 cm in length and less than 6 mm in diameter. Obstruction of the appendiceal lumen with a fecalith, or less commonly foreign bodies, worms, and lymphadenopathy, may result in swelling of the appendix. Patients present with periumbilical abdominal pain. Acute appendicitis is a clinical diagnosis. The majority of patients with signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis should receive prompt surgical intervention. Laparoscopic or open appendectomy can be associated with ileus, superficial or deep wound infections, GI leak, bleeding or hematoma, wound dehiscence, or hernia.