Best Appendix Surgeon in Delhi – Dr. Sushant Wadhera
What is an appendix?
- The appendix is a worm shaped tubular structure around the size of an index finger at the junction of the small
and large bowel in the right lower part of the abdomen.
- It gets inflamed when hard stool matter gets stuck at the base of the appendix leading to distension and swelling of the appendix. It can also get inflamed by worms, or other conditions.
- This leads to severe excruciating abdominal pain in the right lower abdomen which may radiate down to thighs or even to the groin.
- You probably know that if the appendix becomes inflamed it usually needs to be removed. You can live without your appendix and not develop any long term issues.
- If appendicitis is untreated, it may rupture or burst open and cause very serious illness ( peritonitis, septic shock ) or even death.
How to Diagnose Appendicitis?
The acute attack of appendicitis is usually diagnosed by clinical examination and confirmed by Ultrasound and blood tests. In some cases a CT-scan may be required to confirm the diagnosis if the clinical picture is confusing.
Management of Appendicitis
- During an acute attack the patient is usually hospitalized, put on IV antibiotics and other supportive medications. The patient may require an EMERGENCY APENDECTOMY within a few hours of diagnosis.
- Most of the cases are operated ideally before 36 hours of the onset of pain
- Sometimes if there is a formation of an appendicular lump then the surgeon may decide to perform an INTERVAL APPENDECTOMY after a few weeks .
SURGERY FOR APPENDICITIS
- Appendectomy is a common surgery and many people have had their appendix removed. It is the safest option for management for appendicitis if you are medically fit to undergo anesthesia. It’s a routinely performed procedure, usually done using Laparoscopic Techniques.
Open Appendectomy
Traditional way to remove the appendix is by making one large cut below and to the right of the belly button.
Laparoscopic appendectomy
This surgery removes the appendix using small incisions , 5 mm and 10 mm and using Minimal invasive surgical instruments.
Single Incision Laparoscopic Appendectomy (SILA)
One of the latest techniques is Single Incision Laparoscopic Appendectomy (SILA, where a single puncture is made in the navel and the surgery is done using modern Minimally invasive instruments. This makes the surgery scarless and virtually pain free.
Advantages of laparoscopic appendectomy over open appendectomy
The most common advantages of laparoscopic surgery are:
- Less pain after surgery
- A shorter hospital stay
- Getting back to normal activity faster
- Having normal bowel movements sooner
- A smaller scar which is better cosmetically.
- Low risk of hernia at the post operative scar site.
What happens if I cannot have my Appendix removed Laparoscopically?
You might need open surgery with one large incision, as the Surgeon may need to convert from laparoscopy to open surgery because of following reasons:
- The appendix is very inflamed or there is an abscess (a large collection of infected pus in the abdomen).
- Your appendix has perforated (burst).
- You have scar tissue in your abdomen from earlier surgery which leads to dense adhesions between organs in which case it would be safer to proceed with open surgery.
- You have bleeding problems.
It is not to be considereda failure or a problem if your surgeon decides to switch to open surgery. They will switch if open surgery is the safest option for you. Your surgeon might not know this until after the laparoscopy starts. They will use their best judgment about the safest surgery for you.
What are the Possible Complications of Appendectomy?
Complications are rare, but possible. They include:
Bleeding.
Wound infection.
Injury to nearby organs.
Blood clots
Hernia
A hernia is a hole that allows a small amount of gut (intestine) or other tissue to bulge through the muscles that cover it, this more common after a larger cut on the abdomen as in after an open surgery as compared to llaparoscopic approach. A person may develop a right sided groin/ inguinal hernia after an open appendectomy.
Single Incision Laparoscopic Appendicectomy
Latest approach.
Provides excellent cosmesis and is scarless, requires
lot more expertise and advanced technology
If you are having pain suggestive of appendix…CONTACT NOW!!!