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Recurrent appendicitis of vermiform appendix after a prior appendectomy: a case report and review of the literature

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posted on 2024-03-15, 11:19 authored by Talal Almas, Vikneswaran Raj Nagarajan, Danyal Ahmed, Muneeb Ullah, Mohammed Ali Ashary, Mert Oruk, Arsalan Khan, Kiran Amin, Uzair Malik, Joshua Ramjohn, Helen Huang, Ali Rifai, Ahlam Alzahrani, Nagi Alqallaf, Sood Alsairefi, Yeoreum Summer Hur, Anhad Bhullar, Khadeer Abdulkarim, Eissa Alwheibi, Mhmod Kadom, Aaisha Alshabibi, Adil Shafi, Faisal Murad, Emad Mansoor

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is one of the leading causes of acute abdominal pain and surgical emergency. Stump appendicitis is a known complication of appendectomy whereby a retained appendiceal tip serves as a nidus for recurrent bouts of inflammation. Nevertheless, full-blown appendicitis of the vermiform appendix after a prior appendectomy remains a diagnostic conundrum.

Case presentation: A 45-year-old woman presented with a six-month history of right iliac fossa pain. Pertinently, she had undergone a prior open appendectomy twelve years ago. Further investigative workup revealed full-blown appendicitis, which was not attributable to a retained appendiceal stump. A subsequent laparoscopic appendectomy was performed, and the resultant specimen was sent for further evaluation, confirming the diagnosis of recurrent appendicitis.

Clinical discussion: Acute appendicitis is one of the most common life-threatening abdominal surgical emergencies worldwide, with 300000 appendectomies performed annually in the United States alone. Stump and chronic appendicitis are two separate and exceedingly rare clinical entities that may present simultaneously and develop serious complications unless promptly recognized and appropriately managed. The present paper prompts the clinicians to distinguish amongst the two at the initial surgery in order to thwart further exacerbations.

Conclusion: While stump appendicitis is a rare but well-characterized complication of a prior appendectomy, full-blown appendicitis of vermiform appendix remains elusive. It is therefore imperative to distinguish between a duplicated and a recurrent appendix at the initial operative procedure to facilitate optimal patient management.

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The original article is available at https://journals.lww.com/

Published Citation

Almas T, et al. Recurrent appendicitis of vermiform appendix after a prior appendectomy: a case report and review of the literature. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022;77:103603.

Publication Date

13 April 2022

PubMed ID

35638013

Department/Unit

  • Undergraduate Research

Publisher

Elsevier Ltd

Version

  • Published Version (Version of Record)

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