Inflamed Appendix

Inflamed Appendix? Don’t wait for it to Burst.

If your family doctor has determined that you have appendicitis, an inflammation of your appendix that cannot be treated with medications, he will refer you to a Victorville General Surgeon on a priority basis for an appendectomy, the removal of your appendix. While most surgeries for appendicitis are performed on an emergency basis because the appendix has burst, being able to schedule your operation with a surgeon before it becomes an emergency lets you discuss and understand, the two different appendix surgical procedures.

TWO APPENDECTOMY OPERATIONS

1. Open Appendectomy:

This procedure is performed in a hospital and requires the surgeon to make a 2 to 4 inch incision in the outer layer of skin and then through the lower right side of the abdomen over the area of the appendix. The appendix is then cut away from where it’s attached to the colon, the remaining hole is sewn shut, the appendix is removed through the incision, and the incision is stitched closed. For an open appendectomy, the patient is given a general anesthetic and will remain in the hospital for 2 to 7 days.

2.

A laparoscope, a long, thin tube that contains a camera and surgical tools, in inserted through one of the incisions. Using a TV monitor to guide the tools, the surgeon removes the appendix from the colon, sews the remaining hole shut, removes the appendix through one of the incisions, and stitches all the incisions closed. If the surgeon encounters any unusual situation, such as the spread of inflammation, he may determine that it’s necessary to switch to an open appendectomy. For the laparoscopic surgery, the patient is given a general anesthetic and typically remains in the hospital for a shorter period of time than with an open