Appendicectomy – Surgical Procedure for Appendix Removal
Appendicectomy is the medical name for the surgical procedure to remove the appendix. It may also be called by various names like appendectomy or appendix surgery or surgery for appendicitis.
The appendix is located on the lower right of the abdomen, an out-pouching of the bowel and it has no practical use in the human body. When the appendix gets swollen and causes pain, its ignorance may lead to its burst inside the body, resulting in serious infections and illness and can prove to be life-threatening. Sometimes the appendix scars up from past infections and causes recurring pain. When patients have such symptoms and it is doubtful, it is better to remove the appendix than to leave a diseased appendix inside the body. However, there are also cases when the appendix is found to be normal when it is removed.
The appendix surgery is generally carried out in emergency to treat the inflamed appendix known as appendicitis. The cause for appendicitis may vary like insertion of a foreign object, bowel adhesion, and hard mass of feces causing inflammation, blockage and infection or swelling of the lymphatic tissue due to viral infection. The common appendix symptoms are vomiting, constipation, nausea and pain. The pain initiates in the central abdomen and moves towards the right abdomen. Some of these symptoms may be absent and the diagnosis is made on the basis on investigation of the abdominal cavity.
The surgery procedure can be laparoscopic or open appendicectomy. The open surgery includes making an incision through the skin and the abdominal wall to access the appendix. Laparoscopic appendectomy involves making 3 small incisions through which the instruments are inserted and carbon dioxide gas is distended in the abdominal cavity to separate the organs from the abdominal wall. A laparoscopic surgery may be converted into an open surgery if the appendix is ruptured. After the appendix is accessed, the blood vessels attached to it are clamped and the organ is removed. The laparoscopic appendectomy involves small keyhole incisions to remove the appendix.
The possible complications in the appendix surgery can be of appendicitis infection. Those with a ruptured appendix develop abscess (ball of pus) in the abdominal cavity which has to be drained out surgically after the surgery for appendicitis. The abdominal cavity has to be disinfected and a nasogastric tube may be inserted in the stomach and intravenous fluids shall be administered in the veins through the arms. Another common kind of infection is from the wound.
One can know the process in detail through the video of the surgery which is available on the internet. Also articles by healthcare experts and news updates can help one know more about appendectomy.
Find out more information about Appendicectomy, appendix surgery, video of surgery, surgery for appendicitis and Healthcare Experts from our website.
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