| Abstract: |
The appendix may be involved in ulcerative colitis (UC, a type of inflammatory bowel disease), in the setting of either diffuse or distal disease, and is usually diagnosed incidentally at the time of proctocolectomy (surgery to treat the UC). This article describes a patient in whom a rare case of 'ulcerative appendicitis' occurring on a background of clinically quiescent (no active symptoms) UC presented with the signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis. Prior to this presentation, the patient's UC was in remission for over 2 years. The patient was treated with laparotomy and the appendix was removed. Pathology showed acute inflammation confined to the mucosa, with neutrophilic crypt epithelial infiltration (cryptitis) and crypt abscesses consistent with appendix involvement by UC. Following appendectomy, the patient made a rapid and uneventful recovery; he was asymptomatic one day after the operation and was discharged home on day 2. Six months later, the colitis remained in complete clinical remission, and there has been no recurrence of right lower quadrant symptoms. The authors suggest that this patient's acute appendiceal pain syndrome derived from a complex interplay of mucosal immune, vascular, and neurogenic factors, driven by a localized, active focus of UC. Appendectomy provided both the diagnosis and the cure of this acute illness. The authors conclude that although rare (and perhaps underrecognized), acute right lower quadrant pain in the setting of clinically quiescent UC may herald active ulcerative appendicitis, rather than typical suppurative appendicitis. 1 figure. 24 references. |