Appendicitis - Treatment Overview

Treatment Overview

The only treatment for appendicitis is surgery to remove the appendix (appendectomy). The goal is to remove the appendix before it ruptures and spreads infection to the abdomen (peritonitis).

If your doctor is not sure if you have appendicitis, you may have to wait for several hours at home or in the hospital before a decision about surgery is made. Your doctor may send you home and have you come back in 6 or 8 hours to be rechecked.

Surgery to remove the appendix can be done one of two ways—laparoscopic or traditional. Experts do not agree on which surgery is best. It often depends on what your surgeon prefers. Laparoscopic surgery uses three or four small cuts or incisions and traditional appendectomy uses one larger incision. Most people feel better immediately after surgery. Some people can even go home the same day.

If your appendix has burst and there is infection in your abdomen, you may have to stay in the hospital longer. Your treatment will include intravenous (IV) fluids and antibiotics. Surgery for a burst appendix may be more complicated. If you have a burst appendix, a radiologist may place a drain in your belly to help remove some of the infection before you have surgery to remove it. In this case, the appendix will be taken out a few weeks later. After you have your appendix removed, the doctor may leave the incision (cut) open to heal from the inside to the outside. You may also have a drain placed within the wound to help drain the infection.

You will also have to stay in the hospital longer if you have health problems that get worse after surgery.

Sometimes a doctor will recommend surgery even if he or she is not sure you have appendicitis. Surgery can eliminate the chances of a ruptured appendix. If you have surgery and your appendix is normal, your appendix will still be removed so that it will not cause future problems.