Bone metaplasia of the appendix presented with clinical and computed tomography signs of acute appendicitis managed with laparoscopic appendectomy

Abstract

Bone metaplasia or heterotopic ossification of the appendix is an extremely rare condition, which is usually associated with mucinous appendiceal neoplasms. This case describes a young male patient, who presented to the surgical emergency department with clinical and computed tomography signs of acute appendicitis. Laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. The final histopathological examination revealed a bone metaplasia of the distal appendix, without any other associated appendiceal pathology. According to our knowledge and literature review, this is the first such case described in the English literature yet.

Keywords: Acute appendicitis; bone metaplasia; heterotopic ossification; histopathological diagnosis; laparoscopic appendectomy.