Stump appendicitis after laparoscopic appendectomy; laparoscopic management and literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Appendectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide There are different etiologies for acute appendicitis such as obstruction of the appendiceal lumen by fecalith, lymphoid hyperplasia, or neoplasm. Laparoscopic appendectomy has become the treatment of choice for both complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis; common postoperative complications include wound infection, bleeding, intraabdominal abscess. Stump appendicitis is defined as the interval repeated inflammation of remaining residual appendiceal tissue after an appendectomy.

Presentation of case: 38-Year-old female patient with a history of laparoscopic appendectomy performed in 2016 for acute uncomplicated appendicitis. She arrived to the emergency room due to abdominal pain 7 out of 10, located in the periumbilical region, later with migration to the right lower quadrant, abdominal CT scan evidenced the presence of a cecal and pericecal inflammatory process as well as the base and residual proximal portion of the cecal appendix laparoscopic stump appendectomy was performed.

Discussion: Stump appendicitis (SA) is defined as the inflammation of the remnant of the cecal appendix after an appendectomy, whether due to impaction of a fecalith or secondary to an ischemic process, the probability of developing SA is estimated to be about 1/50,000 cases throughout life. The most frequently used treatment is exploratory laparotomy to complete the previous appendectomy; however, there are 5 reported cases of stump appendicitis, where surgical resolution was performed through laparoscopic surgery.

Conclusions: It is important to keep this entity in mind when evaluating a patient with acute abdomen with previous history of appendectomy, since the delay in diagnosis and treatment increases morbidity and mortality; laparoscopic stump appendectomy has been shown to be a safe treatment (Agha et al., 2020 [14]).¹.

Keywords: Laparoscopic appendectomy; Rare complication; Stump appendicitis.

Figs. 1 & 2

CT of the abdomen showing a 14.25 mm appendicular stump, with wall edema, fat striation and increased in diameter.

Figs. 3 & 4

Intraoperative view showing appendicular stump with evidence of inflammation without perforation.

Fig. 5

Stapled stump appendicular resection.