Ectopic pregnancy as an etiologic agent in appendicitis.

The association of ectopic pregnancy and acute appendicitis has seldom been discussed in literature. This report presents 2 patients who had simultaneous right tubal pregnancies and acute periappendicitis. The cases reported here suggest the possibility that an ectopic pregnancy can produce an inflammatory reaction of the appendix. Ectopic pregnancy as an etiological stimulus for acute appendicitis is discussed. The advisability of examining the appendix at the time of surgery for pelvic disease, and performing an appendectomy at the same time, if pathology of the appendix is suspected, is emphasized. The use of elective appendectomy in surgery for ectopic pregnancy is reviewed.