Appendicitis is one of the most common reasons people undergo abdominal surgery. Lost in history are the reasons why appendectomy was performed in the first place, and in the hundred years since appendicitis was first described, many changes in patient management have occurred improving both the diagnosis and treatments for appendicits. A major trial, Antibiotic Therapy vs Appendectomy for Treatment of Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis, was recently published in JAMA showing that most patients with acute, uncomplicated appendicitis can be treated with antibiotics alone and avoid surgery.
JAMA Clinical Reviews