Pseudomyxoma peritonei diagnosed 19 years after appendicectomy

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is an uncommon clinical finding describing the intraperitoneal accumulation of abundant mucinous, jelly-like material. This entity may represent a spectrum of diseases ranging from mucinous ascites, commonly associated with ruptured epithelial tumours of the appendix, to frank mucinous carcinomatosis. In cases of appendiceal origin, the patient may present with signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis, and thus careful diagnosis must be made in order to correctly and appropriately guide management. This may include a combination of surgical debulking with or without intraperitoneal or systemic chemotherapy. We present a 52-year-old woman with a 4-month history of abdominal pain and distension with a previous appendicectomy 19 years earlier. Radiological and pathological investigations diagnosed a probable PMP secondary to ruptured appendicitis many years ago. We describe her unique case, with emphasis on length of time to diagnosis and clinical management by surgical cytoreduction alone.