Acute Appendicitis During Pregnancy

Appendicitis occurs most commonly during the prime childbearing years, and the occurrence of this disease during pregnancy has long been given special consideration by surgeons and obstetricians. Even prior to the evolution of the modern understanding of appendicitis, recognizable cases during pregnancy were reported.1 In fact, one of the landmarks in the history of surgery for appendicitis occurred in 1848 when Hancock2 became the first to successfully treat peritonitis secondary to a ruptured appendix. The patient was a young woman just days post-partum, and the case was also notable for the diagnosis being suspected preoperatively.