Before we talk about appendix surgery (appendicectomy). Let’s discuss about appendicitis first. What is appendicitis?🤒 👉🏽Appendix is a small pouch joined to the large intestine at a point called the caecum (where the small intestine joins the large intestine). It is about 5-10cm long. 👉🏽Appendicitis is inflammation and infection of the appendix.  👉🏽 Commonly caused by blockage of mucus or faeces (poo). When the blockage happens, the appendix swells up, become infected which can cause pus formation 👉🏽If the appendicitis is not treated at this point, it might perforate (bursts). This can be very serious as the content of the bowel will spill into the abdominal cavity and can make you very unwell. It can cause serious infection to the lining of the abdomen (peritonitis) or can cause formation of abscess in the abdomen. 👉🏽Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency admission to hospital in the UK. Male> Female. 👉🏽Most commonly affected ➡️ Teenagers and young adults 👉🏽Approximately 6 in 100 people in the UK have appendicitis at some time in their life. Symptoms? 🏥 Tummy pain - typically pain starts in the middle of the abdomen and then moves to the lower right hand side of the abdomen. The pain becomes worse and worse over 24 hours. Moving or coughing makes it worse. 🏥 Fever and feeling generally unwell 🏥 Feels sick and reduced appetite or you may vomit 🏥 Constipation or diarrhoea 🏥Pass urine more than usual Sometimes, the symptoms are not typical, making it difficult to diagnose. The pain may be on the left side or centre of the abdomen especially when the appendix is in unusual place. Investigations? 🩺 Blood test - raised inflammatory markers can be an indicator of appendicitis 🩺 Sometimes you may need ultrasound or CT scan to rule out other causes and confirm the diagnosis (depends on your history and examination) 🩺 Urine test 🩺 Pregnancy test (for women of childbearing age) to rule out ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside of your womb) 🩺 Sometimes the operating surgeon may want to wait and see for a few hours while you’re being monitored in the hospital - in order to see how the signs/symptoms develop