Appendicitis without an appendix

Published: 03/27/2012

Authors: Beggs AD, Sodergren MH and Swift RI

A 13-year-old boy presented with a 2-day history of right iliac fossa pain. He had no previous history of appendicitis, abdominal surgery or congenital anomalies. At surgery, after mobilisation of the caecum and ascending colon and inspection of the caecum, terminal ileum and confluence of the teniae, the appendix was found to be congenitally absent. A small inflamed lymph node was removed from the caecal pole. Congenital absence of the vermiform appendix is very rare, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 100,000¹, and may be associated with other congenital anomalies.

¹ Lima M, Antonellini C, Aquino A, Domini M, Libri M, Centonze N et al. Agenesis of the appendix vermiformis. Pediatr Med Chir 2003; 25: 370–372.