Case report of recurrent acute appendicitis in a residual tip

Residual appendicitis involving the stump of the appendix has been well described in the literature in the past.

We report the case of a 43 year old male with acute onset of abdominal pain who had undergone an appendicectomy ten years previously. Ultrasound revealed the presence of an inflamed tubular structure. Subsequent laparotomy and histology confirmed that this structure was an inflamed residual appendiceal tip.

Residual tip appendicitis has not been reported in the literature previously and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of localised peritonitis in a patient with a history of a previous open appendicectomy.