Catarrhal Appendicitis

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Catarrhal appendicitis

Content:

• What is acute catarrhal appendicitis?
• Secondary catarrhal appendicitis
• Do you need surgery?

What is acute catarrhal appendicitis?

Acute catarrhal appendicitis is a type of inflammatory lesions of the appendix. It is based on the initial stages of the inflammatory process, in which reversible changes occur in the walls of the appendix without signs of suppuration or destruction.

Causes of catarrhal appendicitis

Catarrhal appendicitis can be caused by such etiopathogenetic factors and mechanisms as:

1. Pathogenic microorganisms trapped directly into the lumen of the appendix;

2. Intestinal infections of bacterial and viral origin. Inflammation of the appendix occurs a second time, since it is an immune organ and can react to any infectious and inflammatory processes in the abdominal cavity;
3. Violation of the contractions of the appendix, which leads to the ingress of feces into its cavity;
4. Fecal stones and undigested food pieces. They can block the exit from the appendix, which leads to stagnation of the contents and inflammation;
5. Contact transition of inflammation from other organs and the peritoneum.

Catarrhal appendicitis symptoms

The clinical picture in acute appendicitis is quite specific, but there are also atypical cases of the course of the disease. Even the best surgeon will not be able to say by clinical manifestations that this is catarrhal appendicitis. An accurate diagnosis can only be made after a visual examination of the appendix. The sequence of determining the symptoms of this disease consists of identifying clinical signs of appendicitis in general, and assessing the state of the appendix during surgery or laparoscopy.

These appendicular symptoms include:

1. Pain in the iliac region of the abdomen on the right. Sometimes it occurs immediately in this place, and in some cases it moves to this area a few hours after the onset in any part of the abdomen (Kocher-Volkovich symptom);
2. Increased pain in the right abdomen when walking;
3. Nausea and one or two vomiting;
4. Dry mouth;
5. Increased body temperature;
6. Palpation soreness of the ileal abdomen on the right, where muscle tension is determined (defense);
7. Tapping on the stomach in the lower right sections causes increased pain (Razdolsky's symptom);

8. Increased abdominal pain, if through a tight T-shirt or shirt, sharply drag your hand over the abdomen from the top to the right. A similar procedure performed on the left does not cause pain (Voskresensky's symptom);

Visual signs of catarrhal appendicitis include edema, tension, thickening, redness, and increased vascularity in the appendix. There should be no fibrinous layers or dark areas on its walls.

Secondary catarrhal appendicitis

In cases where the appendix becomes inflamed not because of its direct primary damage, but as a result of the transition of the process from other internal organs, they speak of secondary catarrhal appendicitis.

This can lead to:

1. Perforated ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
2. Acute destructive cholecystitis;
3. Enteritis and enterocolitis;
4. Crohn's disease (terminal ileitis);
5. Intestinal diverticulitis;
6. Acute adnexitis and pyosalpings;
7. Peritonitis of any origin.

Secondary catarrhal appendicitis is always a finding during an operation that is performed for the underlying disease. Such inflammation of the appendix does not pose any danger, since it passes on its own as the inflammation of the peritoneum and the causative organ subsides.

Do you need surgery?

The presence of signs of acute appendicitis, even in case of doubt about the correctness of this diagnosis, is an indication for surgical treatment. In the classic version, an appendectomy is performed (removal of an inflamed appendix). You should not hesitate or refuse surgery altogether. After all, clinically appendicitis can manifest itself as catarrhal, but in the appendix there may already be destructive changes. In this case, it threatens with serious complications and consequences not only for health, but also for the patient's life. Therefore, the diagnosis of acute appendicitis requires urgent surgical treatment.

All the subtleties of the operation to remove appendicitis

In the literature and everyday life, cases are described when it was possible to avoid surgical treatment in patients with obvious signs of acute appendicitis. But this is not a reason for refusing to intervene. The risk of the operation and the possible consequences is simply not comparable. The exception is cases of secondary catarrhal appendicitis, in which the removal of the appendix is not required.

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.