Appendicitis

-itis
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Terms in this set (68)
-itis
Inflammation
Appendicitis
Inflammation of the appendix -it becomes inflamed with puss and bacteria because of an infection causing the appendix to rupture and spill puss into peritoneal cavity which can be fatal
George Bellows
famous American artist who died of ruptured appendix in 1925 at 42
What was the key to succesfull treatment of appendicitis prior to the advent of antibiotics?
Early diagnosis and prompt treatment before rupture occurs
Appendix
A long, pencil-shaped organ that is an average of 9cm long but can range from 5-35 cm, which comes off the end of the cecum

Appendix is like a barrack where good bacteria live in the gut- it serves as a safe house from which the human gut can repopulate its beneficial bacterial population in environmental conditions were sanitation is poor and there are frequent outbreaks of diarrheal disease
Cecum
The first part of the large intestine. It is the connection between the small intestine and the colon.
Ileocecal valve
The sphincter that separates the final part of the small intestine (the ileum) from the front part of the large intestine (the cecum). It is typically kept contracted (closed) so that chyme can remain in the small intestine as long as possible and to prevent the reflux of fecal matter up into the small intestine (which, unlike the large intestine, is sterile).
Why wasn't the appendix mentioned in early anatomical studies?
Lots of animal species dont have appendices

-Western texts didn't talk about it until 1521!
-Da Vinci drew it, but for personal use
-Vesalius drew it but didn't describe it
When did the first clinical description of appendicitis appear?
1711

Lawrence Hycer describes perforated appendix with resulting abscess
Who first presented a paper about appendicitis and the fact that it could be treated? Describe.
In 1886, Reginald H. Fitz, a Harvard pathologist, first described the clinical condition of acute appendicitis to the Association of American Physicians. He correctly pointed out the importance of its early diagnosis and timely treatment well before the advent of antibiotics