Treating Appendicitis

Appendicitis is treated by surgically removing the appendix as soon as possible. If the diagnosis is not certain, the doctor may carefully monitor your condition for 6 to 12 hours before operating. You will also be given antibiotics to fight infection.

Although this is still considered the standard of care, a recent study investigated the safety and effectiveness of treating appendicitis with antibiotics instead of surgical appendectomy. Researchers divided 252 men diagnosed with acute appendicitis into two groups: immediate surgery or intravenous antibiotics with surgery only if symptoms persisted for more than 24 hours. Eighty-six percent of patients in the antibiotics group improved without surgery and only 14% of these patients had recurrent symptoms of appendicitis within one year. * Although most surgeons will continue to recommend prompt appendectomy if they suspect appendicitis, if additional research confirms these findings, selected patients may be able to safely avoid surgery in the future.