Intussusception of the vermiform appendix; report of a case.

Abstract

The first report in the literature on intussusception of the appendix was made by McKidd,1in 1858. His young patient died one month after he was first seen, without benefit of surgical treatment. The tremendous strides in surgery since then have established successful therapeutic measures, but preoperative diagnosis has lagged far behind. Rarely has a correct preoperative diagnosis been arrived at, although certain characteristics of the disease are definite enough to warrant its inclusion in the differential diagnosis of surgical disease of the abdomen. The case reported here is of interest because of the type of intussusception; an invagination of the appendix into itself is rare, and only three previous cases have been reported. The fourth case of this type is reported with a brief discussion of the possible causative factors and a review of the literature. REPORT OF A CASE The patient, a 65-year-old white man, was admitted