Is a long delay necessary before appendectomy after appendiceal mass formation? A preliminary report.

The standard treatment for an appendiceal mass is conservative therapy followed by appendectomy after 6 to 10 weeks. With the advent of antibiotics designed to prevent the growth of anaerobes, early appendectomy can now be carried out without complication. The authors studied 56 patients with appendiceal mass formation, 26 (group A) treated conventionally and 30 (group B) treated by early appendectomy. In group B, the infection rate was 17%, the mean operating time was 38.7 minutes, the mean hospital stay was 15 days and there was an early return to work. The corresponding parameters for group A were an infection rate of 8%, a mean operating time of 35.2 minutes, a hospital stay of 19.1 days and a late return to work. Furthermore, 15% of the patients in group A had a recurrent acute episode during the waiting period. Overall, early appendectomy appears to be a safe and cost-effective treatment for appendiceal mass formation.