Appendicitis and appendiceal malignancies

1. Big picture

Acute appendicitis is the most common emergency abdominal operation and a classic exam topic because it tests whether you can recognize an evolving surgical abdomen, exclude dangerous mimics, resuscitate correctly, choose imaging, and decide when to operate.

Appendiceal malignancies are uncommon but important because they may mimic appendicitis or be found incidentally after appendectomy. The key exam issue is deciding whether appendectomy alone is enough or whether the patient needs right hemicolectomy, oncological staging, cytoreductive surgery, or follow-up.

Core oral-exam sentence:

Acute appendicitis is inflammation of the vermiform appendix, usually due to luminal obstruction, causing visceral periumbilical pain that localizes to the right iliac fossa as parietal peritoneum becomes inflamed. Diagnosis is clinical supported by labs and imaging, and standard treatment is laparoscopic appendectomy with antibiotics; complicated appendicitis requires source control, drainage or staged surgery. Appendiceal tumours require histology-based oncological management.

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