Position and course of the appendix: sonographic classification and clinical and radiological significance

Abstract

Objective: The position of the appendix determines the symptoms and the site of the muscular spasm and tenderness when the appendix becomes inflamed. Several anatomists described the position of the appendix. Their observations of the position of the appendix are performed using cadavers and mainly normal appendix. In the sonographic evaluation of the appendix, understanding of the position of the appendix is very important to diagnose correctly and to escape the pitfalls of diagnosis. However, evaluation of the position and course of the appendix preoperatively and of the inflamed appendix are little evaluated. Even though acute appendicitis is evaluated mainly using sonography, sonographic evaluation of the position and course of the appendix are not described in the literature. We investigated this study to reveal position and course of the appendix using sonography in acute appendicitis preoperatively. This exhibition will show the various positions of the appendix and their characteristic sonographic findings and clinical significance.