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Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ruptured appendix include widespread, painful inflammation of the inner lining of the abdominal wall and sepsis.
An appendectomy, also termed appendicectomy, is a surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedure to treat complicated acute appendicitis.
A laparotomy is a surgical procedure involving small incisions through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity. It is also known as a celiotomy.
Cyanosis is the bluish or purplish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes due to the tissues near the skin surface having low oxygen saturation. Based on Lundsgaard and Van Slyke's work, it is classically described as occurring if 5.0 g/dL of deoxyhemoglobin or greater is present. This was based on an estimate of capillary saturation based on a mean of arterial versus peripheral venous blood gas measurements. Since estimation of hypoxia is usually now based either on arterial blood gas measurement or pulse oximetry, this is probably an overestimate, with evidence that levels of 2.0 g/dL of deoxyhemoglobin may reliably produce cyanosis. Since, however, the presence of cyanosis is dependent upon there being an absolute quantity of deoxyhemoglobin, the bluish color is more readily apparent in those with high hemoglobin counts than it is with those with anemia. Also, the bluer the color, the more difficult it is to detect on deeply pigmented skin. When signs of cyanosis first appear, such as on the lips or fingers, intervention should be made within 3–5 minutes because a severe hypoxia or severe circulatory failure may have induced the cyanosis.
McBurney's point is the name given to the point over the right side of the abdomen that is one-third of the distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus (navel). This point roughly corresponds to the most common location of the base of the appendix where it is attached to the cecum.
Rovsing's sign, named after the Danish surgeon Niels Thorkild Rovsing (1862–1927), is a sign of appendicitis. If palpation of the left lower quadrant of a person's abdomen increases the pain felt in the right lower quadrant, the patient is said to have a positive Rovsing's sign and may have appendicitis. The phenomenon was first described by Swedish surgeon Emil Samuel Perman (1856-1945) writing in the journal Hygiea in 1904.
Blumberg's sign is a clinical sign in which there is pain upon removal of pressure rather than application of pressure to the abdomen. It is indicative of peritonitis. It was named after German surgeon Jacob Moritz Blumberg.
In medicine, Murphy's sign is a maneuver during a physical examination as part of the abdominal examination. It is useful for differentiating pain in the right upper quadrant. Typically, it is positive in cholecystitis, but negative in choledocholithiasis, pyelonephritis, and ascending cholangitis.
The psoas sign, also known as Cope's psoas test or Obraztsova's sign, is a medical sign that indicates irritation to the iliopsoas group of hip flexors in the abdomen, and consequently indicates that the inflamed appendix is retrocaecal in orientation.
Costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness is pain that results from touching the region inside of the costovertebral angle. The CVA is formed by the 12th rib and the spine. Assessing for CVA tenderness is part of the abdominal exam, and CVA tenderness indicates kidney pathology.
The obturator sign or Cope's obturator test is an indicator of irritation to the obturator internus muscle.
Sir William Arbuthnot Lane, Bt, CB, FRCS, Legion of Honour, was a British surgeon and physician. He mastered orthopaedic, abdominal, and ear, nose and throat surgery, while designing new surgical instruments toward maximal asepsis. He thus introduced the "no-touch technique", and some of his designed instruments remain in use.
The abdominopelvic cavity is a body cavity that consists of the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity. It contains the stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, kidneys, and most of the small and large intestines. It also contains the urinary bladder and internal reproductive organs. The abdominal pelvic cavity is a little pocket sac that lies way low in the base of the abdominal pelvis cavity. There's no membrane that separates out the abdominal cavity from the pelvic cavity so it is sometimes referred to as the abdominal pelvis or the peritoneal cavity. There are many diseases and disorders associated with the organs of the abdominopelvic cavity.
Muehrcke's nails or Muehrcke's lines are changes in the fingernail that may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. The term refers to a set of one or more pale transverse bands extending all the way across the nail, parallel to the lunula. In contrast to Beau's lines, they are not grooved, and in contrast to Mees' lines, the thumb is usually not involved.
The Alvarado score is a clinical scoring system used in the diagnosis of appendicitis. The score has 6 clinical items and 2 laboratory measurements with a total 10 points. It was introduced in 1986 and although meant for pregnant females, it has been extensively validated in the non-pregnant population. The modified Alvarado score is at present in use. The Alvarado score has largely been superseded as a clinical prediction tool by the Appendicitis Inflammatory Response score.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an illness with a long history of controversy. For years, many professionals within the medical community did not recognize CFS as a true condition, nor was there agreement on its prevalence. There has been much disagreement over the pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome, how it should be diagnosed, and how to treat it.
The Massouh sign is a clinical sign for acute localised appendicitis, named after the General Surgeon Farouk Massouh from Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey/United Kingdom.
The Markle sign or jar tenderness is a clinical sign in which pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen is elicited by dropping from standing on the toes to the heels with a jarring landing. It is found in patients with localised peritonitis due to acute appendicitis. It is similar to rebound tenderness, but may be easier to elicit when the patient has firm abdominal wall muscles. Abdominal pain on walking or running is an equivalent sign.
The Hamburger sign is used in the diagnosis of appendicitis. The sign is used to rule out that disease, with the physician inquiring if the patient would like to consume his/her favourite food. If a patient wants to eat, consider a diagnosis other than appendicitis. Anorexia is 80% sensitive for appendicitis. A positive hamburger sign is demonstrated by a patient declining food.
Murphy's Triad is a collection of three medical signs associated with acute appendicitis, a medical emergency which presents with lower right abdominal pain, along with nausea, vomiting, and fever.
References
- ↑ M.D., Mark E. Williams (31 July 2009). Geriatric Physical Diagnosis: A Guide to Observation and Assessment. McFarland. pp. 189–. ISBN 978-0-7864-5160-9.
- 1 2 Colt, G. H. (19 November 1932). "Chronic Appendicitis: "Lockwood's Sign"". BMJ. 2 (3750): 942. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.3750.942-b. PMC 2521924 .
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