Crohn's disease of the appendix

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Pathology

Background:

• Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
• Appendiceal involvement is not widely recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and significance of appendiceal involvement in Crohn's disease.

Main Methods:

• Histopathological examination of appendices from patients with Crohn's disease.
• Review of surgical pathology records.

Main Results:

• Six patients presented with granulomatous appendicitis as the primary manifestation of Crohn's disease.
• Five of 46 appendices from Crohn's enterocolitis cases showed histological evidence of Crohn's disease.
• Four patients with isolated appendiceal Crohn's remained asymptomatic for 2-6 years.

Conclusions:

• Appendiceal involvement in Crohn's disease is more common than previously thought.
• Isolated appendiceal Crohn's disease can present without other gastrointestinal symptoms.