[Changing views in the 20-th century regarding acute appendicitis]

In 1886 Reginald H. Fitz described the pathology of acute appendicitis suggested surgical treatment. 10 years later, during VII-th the Congress of Polish Surgeons in Cracow, Maksymilian Rutkowski was the first in Poland to present the results of that kind of treatment. Operations performed for that frequently, not seldom fatal disease-were not accepted from the beginning through the world. In Poland as well at the beginning of the 20-th century, indications for appendectomy were discussed. In 1920 previous views regarding the necessity for surgical treatment in acute and chronic cases changed. These changes were supported by the observation that in some cases involving pain in the right, pain remains even after appendectomy were the vermiform appendix was found to be unaffected and it was also found that adhesion of ileus can be a dangerous late complications. It might appear that today's knowledge relating to this disease is fully established. Close observation found successful results as shown by in decreasing mortality. Within 100 years in the Massachusetts General Hospital mortality feel from 40% to 0.8% to Fitzs between patients who had undergone appendectomy accompany high percentage failed preoperative diagnosis. Today at the beginning of the 21-st century with the availability of MRI, CT, videosurgery and organs transplant it is difficult to imagine that the cause of such a common disease is still unknown and that in almost 1/4 of the operations performed on patients do not confirm the preoperative diagnosis.