Congenital absence of the vermiform appendix

Abstract

Agenesis of the vermiform appendix is very rare. The incidence is estimated to be one in 100,000 laparotomies for suspected appendicitis. During a routine dissection of the abdomen in a 60-year-old donated male cadaver, the vermiform appendix was found to be absent. The ileocaecal junction and retrocaecal area were thoroughly searched, but the vermiform appendix was not found or appeared to resemble a tubercle. This is likely the first reported case of agenesis of a vermiform appendix in India. This suggests the possibility that the human vermiform appendix would ultimately become rudimentary or absent in the course of evolution.