Chronic appendicitis.

Twenty patients with chronic pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen were reviewed as to preoperative findings and pathologic findings at laparotomy. Eleven of the 20 patients had acute appendicitis, and 13 of the 20 had some appendiceal problem. The white blood count was not reliable in diagnosing this, as eight of the 11 of those with acute appendicitis had a normal white blood count. Barium enema examination was performed in ten of the 13 with disease, and abnormalities were noted in nine of the ten, an indication of a high degree of reliability of this examination. Long term follow-up study revealed that 17 of the patients in the study gained complete relief of symptoms after appendectomy.