
Acute appendicitis is a surgical emergency which requires prompt intervention. It is heralded by pain which usually starts in the central abdomen but later on shifts to the right lower quadrant. This is usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting , anorexia and fever.
The appendix is swollen in acute appendicitis and becomes turgid . Since the majority of cases are accompanied with blockage of the lumen, there are chances of perforation or bursting of the appendix if the inflammation doesn’t resolve. This causes pus to spread inside the abdominal cavity and is a grave emergency which may require open surgery to remove the appendix and clean the abdominal cavity.
Thus , any suspicion of appendicitis should be treated with concern with early diagnosis using a combination of blood tests and ultrasound and prompt intervention using antibiotics and surgery.