Appendix

About the Appendix

The appendix vermiformis is a worm shaped tube approximately 8 to 10 cm long attached to the cecum at the beginning of the large intestine. Long considered vestigial, research suggests it serves as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, repopulating the colon after illness such as cholera or dysentery. It also contains lymphoid tissue, contributing to immune function, particularly in young people. Appendicitis, inflammation from obstruction by a fecalith or lymphoid hyperplasia, is one of the most common causes of emergency abdominal surgery. The classic presentation is periumbilical pain migrating to the right lower quadrant McBurney point at one third from ASIS to umbilicus, with nausea, anorexia, and fever. It is usually treated by surgical removal, appendectomy, although antibiotics alone are used for some uncomplicated cases. The appendix can be removed without obvious long term consequences.