Stump appendicitis: a myth that can become reality

Abstract

Stump appendicitis is a rare etiology of acute lower right quadrant abdominal pain often forgotten in the emergency room (ER). The Mac Burney scar or a previous laparoscopic appendectomy always rule out the eventuality of appendicitis and mislead management. Advanced imaging tools are more than compulsory to help correct the diagnosis. Computed tomography (CT) scan is the option of choice that may be replaced if unavailable by simple ultrasound examination. The treatment is mainly surgical. We report the case of a stump appendicitis occurring 12 years after laparoscopic appendectomy in an 18-year-old girl. The diagnosis was based on consistent clinical signs and conclusive radiological data. A successful completion appendectomy was performed with good outcome.