Sinusitis

The role of the appendix in the human body. Scientists have discovered the true purpose of the appendix How to live with a removed appendix

I have been living without an appendix for 15 years. Why should I then talk about an operation that took place so long ago? It turns out that the removal of this organ can significantly affect life. But you can understand this only after time...

I had problems with my intestines even before the surgery. At an early age, all my beneficial microflora was killed with monstrous doses of antibiotics, which resulted in periodic constipation. This whole matter was aggravated by our “wonderful” Soviet school and camp toilets - in order to recover in which, you had to have a lot of indifference. I didn’t have it and don’t have it, so I had to endure it often and for a long time. Then, at the age of 10, I had dysentery, which weakened my already unhealthy intestines.

FATAL DAY

The symptoms of my appendicitis were not classic, and therefore 4 (!) days passed from the onset of the first signs of illness to the operation. Yes, most people know about pain in the right side, etc., etc. But not me. I had the following:

bloating
weakness
mild nausea
constipation

On the 4th day, or rather the night, it was decided to call an ambulance, and I was sure that I had an intestinal obstruction, which they would fix for me. But part of the intestines had to be removed.

ANESTHESIA - GENERAL OR LOCAL

I was lucky that it didn't take long to diagnose. As it turned out later, time was against me. Having made sure that I had already undergone general anesthesia, the doctor insisted on a local one, saying that it was no big deal, I’d be patient a little and I’d be done. I agreed.

And I was wrong...

As the operation progressed, it became clear that the appendix had burst, which meant that the operation was no longer routine. Now it was local purulent peritonitis, the consequences of which required more diligent work by surgeons. The pain also exceeded the scale of “tolerate a little.” It was a nightmare, a nightmare...

REHABILITATION

Everything was hard and long. In addition to the main incision through which the remains of the appendix were removed, an additional one was made for the catheter. Serous fluid flowed through it. Although I was discharged after 7 days, still with stitches, I did not manage to recover for a long time. Unreal weakness and low-grade fever prevented me from working for another month. Suspicions of a foreign body were not confirmed, no other causes were found, doctors did not recommend anything, so my body had to recover on its own. And fortunately, this happened, at least it seemed so to me...

Something that worries many girls, and for some reason something that didn’t bother me at all, is the seam. I guess I didn’t even think that I was in danger of having an unsightly stitch. But it happened. The fact is that the rehabilitation period did not go entirely smoothly. To prevent suppuration, one of the 3 stitches was removed ahead of time. That is why, in this place, the joint of the fabrics turned out to be under tension.

Even worse, for another whole year my scar was not only thick, but also purple in color. I thought it would be like this. But gradually, he became paler. Now it's like this:

In addition, there was also a scar from the drainage. Why they made a separate hole for me is not clear... But now I have 2 scars as a memory of that event. The location is as close as possible to the ilium. In some I saw it almost under the navel. I don't think the cut was that bad.

However, my penchant for keloid scars left me no chance for an elegant hair cut...

LIFE WITHOUT APPENDIX

“It’s a rudiment” - that’s what even some doctors say about the appendix. That is, throw it out and nothing will change. I not only don’t believe it, I know for sure that it’s not true. Because:

The appendix performs a protective function; accumulations of lymphoid tissue in it are part of the peripheral parts of the immune system

It is more difficult for people with a removed appendix to restore their intestinal microflora after contracting an infection.

The appendix is an organ that performs the same function for the intestines as the tonsils do for the lungs.

WHAT I LOST WITH THE APPENDIX:

your gorgeous hair color (gray hair has actively entered my life)

Yes, at the age of 21, some time after the operation, abnormally gray hair began to appear. They're so thick and white that paint won't take them off. After 15 years, it’s a total mess - my head is gray.

weight

From my juicy 63 kg, my weight dropped to 53. It seems not dystrophic, but taking into account my original skeleton, there should be much more fat on it. Getting the desired 5 kilos is a dream!

immunity

During the first years I suffered from terrible sinusitis. One of the cases threatened me with meningitis.

regarding normal bowel function

ABOUT!!! I could write a whole poem here, but I don’t really want to bore you. In short: constipation, bloating, constipation and more bloating. Accordingly, poor digestibility and chronic vitamin deficiency.

normal flow of bile

No matter how much I expel bile in every possible way, I have chronic stagnation. And I also read that this is due to the absence of an appendix

You may ask, why did you decide that it was because of the appendix? With the fact that it all started after this operation. The intestines and I are my eternal battle - now war, now truce...

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Some intimate and piquant details

At one stage of the examination of my intestinal problems, it became clear that I could not digest fiber. This can be found out by making a coprogram. To do this, you need to collect your stool in a special container and take it to the laboratory.

I am writing in such detail because a funny incident happened to my husband. Having also received a referral for this examination, but not knowing its essence, he went to the registry and asked if he could take this test right now. The girl from the reception desk stared at him expectantly, apparently hoping that she wouldn’t have to tell him how this analysis was going on. But realizing that my husband was extremely far from medicine, she lowered her eyes and explained what was what. We laughed at home for a long time)))

So, according to my coprogram, I have a large amount of undigested fiber, and when I asked the doctor why this was so, she just shrugged.

Here's what I found on my own:

A person after an appendectomy is more likely to experience problems associated with the digestion of food.

Frankly, I myself often see quite large particles of undigested fiber. As a result, it’s a vicious circle - for the intestines to work well, you need to eat a lot of plant foods, on the other hand, I can’t digest them.

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Bold, even scary assumptions, but so far little studied

In one of the lectures of a nutritionist, I learned that according to some statistics, colon cancer most often occurs in people without an appendix. I think that these studies are incomplete, as they require large expenses. However, it seemed to me that everyone living without an appendix should listen to her recommendations. Namely, lifelong intake of probiotics. Of course, in courses.

Even if you are skeptical about pharmaceutical products, I think that we should have fermented milk every day. Personally, this is exactly the case for me - not a single day goes by without something fermented milk.

So, while you have an appendix, take care of it. How? Try to eat normally, at least. And if you have lost your appendix, I advise you not to relax. There is nothing superfluous in the body!

Not so long ago, the appendix was considered a useless and even harmful organ. It was removed for anyone who complained of sudden abdominal pain. And after the operation it often turned out that there was no trace of inflammation. But the doctors were in no hurry to admit the mistake: they say it was not removed in vain, anyway, sooner or later it would have become inflamed...

And only recently, a study of the results of this practice showed that children who had the appendage of the cecum unreasonably removed at an early age lagged behind their peers in both physical and mental development. In general, people with “accidentally” removed appendixes are more likely than others to suffer from a variety of diseases. Why, they were unable to explain then.

In the human body, the appendix does not take part in the digestion process, but this does not mean that it is not needed. Our vermiform appendix of the cecum (this is the full name of the appendix) is lymphoid tissue (like the tonsils in the throat) in which cells that perform important immune functions function.

In other words, the appendix takes an active part in all the body's defense reactions. This appendage reacts especially quickly to inflammatory disorders in the cecum and the entire gastrointestinal tract - it is not for nothing that it is often called the “intestinal tonsil”. But it is precisely this feature that can turn the appendix into a vulnerable spot.

If the lymphoid tissue works frequently and intensively, then its walls swell, peristalsis is disrupted, the contents are retained, and an inflammatory process - appendicitis - begins to develop.

The size of the human appendix is small, usually from 5 to 10 cm. In some people, the length of the appendix reaches 18 cm, but this is rare.
It should be said that although acute appendicitis (i.e. inflammation of the appendix) is the most common cause of surgical interventions, most people - 60% - live without knowing this problem at all.

Causes of inflammation

It is generally accepted that the appendix becomes inflamed when hard, indigestible particles enter it, for example, seed husks, etc. We repeat: this is a fallacy. The appendix opening is too small - 1-2 mm. Experienced surgeons can remember only isolated cases when an apple seed or an olive pit was found in the appendix.

The appendix becomes inflamed when it begins to “let in” bacteria that inhabit the intestines. First, suppuration occurs in the mucous membrane itself, and then in all layers of the wall of the appendix. This process is very active in the presence of fecal stones, constipation, and increased putrefactive fermentation in the intestines.

Modern experts tend to attribute the gastronomic preferences of modern people, as well as widespread allergization, to the causes of acute appendicitis. Oddly enough, appendicitis used to be rare - it is generally a relatively new disease. Doctors complain that we have begun to eat too much meat, and this is precisely the provoking factor.

Dangerous age

Statistics say that most often young, healthy people of working age end up on the operating table with acute appendicitis. Appendicitis is rare in children, as well as in people over 50 years of age. The most “appendicitis” period in a person’s life is from 15 to 39 years. Moreover, in this case, the hereditary factor plays an important role. It has been noticed that if one of the parents has had their appendix removed, then the likelihood of such an operation in children is high.

Appendicitis in pregnant women

Acute appendicitis in pregnant women is not that uncommon. Can pregnancy trigger this painful condition? This option is not excluded, because during this period many body systems, including the immune system, are overloaded. An additional provoking factor may be the load on the abdominal organs. In addition, we have already mentioned that appendicitis “loves” young people.

But in any case, you should not panic. Similar operations were performed 50 years ago and very successfully: the children who were then in the mother’s womb have already grown up their own grandchildren. The operation is performed under general anesthesia. There is no need to be afraid of this - modern means allow you to avoid the negative effects of anesthesia on the fetus.

In two weeks, only a small pink scar will remain from the appendicitis, which you will soon forget to think about. After all, your world is filled with wonderful anticipation and unique communication with an unborn but already living person!

Signs of appendicitis

It is difficult to recognize appendicitis by the first symptoms, because nausea, periodic abdominal pain and a slight increase in body temperature (up to 37.5? C) can be manifestations of many other diseases. For example, poisoning, flu, consequences of injury, etc. Sometimes vomiting or diarrhea (diarrhea) occurs with appendicitis.

In many patients, pain occurs not where the appendix is located, but in the epigastric region (“under the stomach”). This suggests cholecystitis, gastritis and other diseases. The bad thing is that when such symptoms appear, the “heavy artillery” of all imaginable home remedies is used - choleretic tinctures, heating pads, enemas and gastric lavage. Such manipulations are dangerous!

Before the doctor arrives, you should not use painkillers or antibiotics. An enema can cause severe painful spasms and lead to intestinal perforation. Under no circumstances should you warm your stomach with a heating pad or a warm bath. You need to immediately consult a surgeon or call an ambulance.

You shouldn’t be patient and waste time - you won’t get a medal for courage, but it’s very easy to get into trouble. After all, appendicitis is not just inflammation, but inflammation that develops at a monstrous speed. It is advisable to have the operation done 6-8 hours after the first symptoms appear. A delay of a few more hours threatens tissue necrosis and severe inflammation of the abdominal cavity - peritonitis.

How to behave

Each person may have a special, individual manifestation of the disease, so you should not compare yourself with anyone and try to make a diagnosis yourself. This should be done by a doctor. A picture similar to appendicitis can be caused by kidney disease, gastritis, enterocolitis, acute inflammation of the ovaries, cysts of various locations, pneumonia, ectopic pregnancy, etc. As a rule, it will not be difficult for an experienced doctor to distinguish inflammation of the appendix from other pathology using special diagnostic signs when examining a patient.

Surgery and rehabilitation

The operation itself is not considered difficult if it is performed on time and there are no additional complicating circumstances. In mild cases it lasts 20-30 minutes. But sometimes there are anatomical features of the location of the appendix that make access to it difficult.

Excess weight and significant fat deposits are also an obstacle. But the most important thing for a successful operation is the condition of the patient in which he arrives on the operating table. It is very important to establish the correct diagnosis as early as possible.

And the very next day after the operation you need to get up and try to take at least a couple of steps. This prevents the formation of adhesions. For the first 2-3 days, patients are prescribed a diet - kefir, liquid porridge, pureed soup, steamed cutlets. Then you can gradually eat your usual food - everything except spicy dishes and smoked meats. After 7-10 days, the former patient is already “back in action.” But for another month, doctors recommend limiting physical activity.

This is interesting!

It turns out that not every God's creature inherited an appendix. Herbivores (sheep, camels, horses) have an appendix, and in some species it reaches impressive sizes - up to several meters. Unlike the human body, this is an important part of their digestive system.

A large amount of difficult-to-digest food (bark, hard stems, thorns) accumulates in it and undergoes thorough fermentation. After such additional processing, the toughest plant foods are easily digestible.

But cats do not have an appendix. Therefore, they are not at risk of appendicitis. In rabbits and guinea pigs, the appendix becomes quite inflamed. But diagnosing it in pets is extremely difficult, almost impossible - all hope lies in an experienced veterinarian.

The appendix is a small extension of the cecum that has nothing to do with the digestive process. It supports the microflora of the large intestine, serves as a kind of incubator for E. coli, from which new portions enter the large intestine/

The most “appendicitis” period in a person’s life is from 15 to 39 years.

Statistics show that up to 9% of patients still die from inflammation of the appendix and the resulting complications!

If symptoms of acute appendicitis appear, you should not use painkillers and antibiotics. An enema can cause severe painful spasms and lead to intestinal perforation. Under no circumstances should you warm your stomach with a heating pad or a warm bath. You need to immediately consult a surgeon or call an ambulance.

Why does the body need a small appendage in the intestine, which scientists once recognized as useless? Why store something that is so easy to become inflamed and bring a person to the operating room? Maybe it's easier to remove the appendix right away? For clarification, we turned to therapist Alexandra Viktorovna Kosova, who prepared this article for the ABC of Health.

Why does a person have an appendix?

Appendix (synonym - vermiform appendix) is an appendage of the cecum extending from its posterolateral wall.

Rice. 1. Large intestine with appendix.

The appendix has a cylindrical shape, an average length of 8-10 cm, although it is shortened to 3 cm, sometimes it increases to 20 cm. Very rarely there is an absence of the appendix. The diameter of the inlet of the appendix is 1-2 mm.

The position of the appendage may be different (see Fig. 2), but the place of origin from the cecum remains constant.

Fig.2. Position of the appendix relative to the cecum.

Only mammals have a vermiform appendix, but not all of them. For example, it is found in sheep, horses, and rabbits. But cows, dogs and cats do not have it. And if there is no appendage, there is no appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix). In horses, the appendix is very large (see Fig. 3), it is an important part of the digestive system: rough parts of plants (bark, hard stems) are thoroughly digested in it.

Rice. 3. Vermiform appendix in a horse.

Remove the appendix to…prevent appendicitis

Although the small appendix in humans is part of the gastrointestinal tract, it does not take part in the digestion process. But the risk of developing appendicitis remains. has always been and remains one of the most common surgical diseases of the abdominal cavity. That is why scientists of the last century came to the conclusion: it is necessary to remove the appendix for preventive purposes.

In general, the conclusions of scientists of the 19th and 20th centuries were so quick and, so to speak, superficial that those organs for which they did not find use in the human body were declared rudimentary and subject to removal. “Rudimentum” from Latin means an underdeveloped, residual organ, which in the process of evolution has lost its original function, but in its infancy is passed on from ancestors to descendants. This direction of scientific thought was largely promoted by the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882), according to which variability, as the cause of differences between ancestors and descendants, is due to the influence of the external environment and the characteristics of the organisms themselves. In other words, the vermiform appendix no longer performs its digestive function, because on the ladder of evolution man has risen one step higher than his animal predecessors (according to Charles Darwin’s theory, man descended from animals), and the human digestive system has become different from that of animals. Therefore, the appendix began to be considered a dangerous vestige, capable of causing a terrible disease - appendicitis.

Many countries have begun to put into practice various methods prevention of appendicitis. For example, in Germany in the 30s of the last century, for preventive purposes, babies decided to have their appendixes removed. But this was soon abandoned, because it was noticed that these children’s immunity decreased, the number of diseases increased and, as a result, mortality increased.

There was a similar sad experience in the USA. Americans began removing appendixes from babies. After the operation, such children were unable to digest mother's milk and were retarded in mental and physical development. It was concluded that such disorders are associated with impaired digestion - a determining factor in normal growth and development. Therefore, the Americans abandoned this method of preventing appendicitis.

Scientists of the 19th-20th centuries classified many organs as rudiments, the functions of which they could not determine: tonsils (tonsils - a misnomer from a medical point of view), thymus (thymus gland), spleen, etc. At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists counted about 180 rudimentary “useless” organs and anatomical structures in the human body. Nobel Prize winner Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (1845 - 1916) believed that the human digestive system is poorly adapted to the modern diet. He expressed this idea at the beginning of the 20th century, when the idea of poisoning the body with waste products of putrefactive bacteria living in the large intestine was widespread. That is why it is not surprising that in “Studies about Nature” I.I. Mechnikov wrote: “Now there is nothing daring in the assertion that not only the cecum with its appendage, but even all human colons are superfluous in our body and that their removal would lead to very desirable results.”

The British surgeon-surgeon of the early 20th century, Baronet Sir William Arbuthnot Lane, in contrast to I.I. Mechnikov did not limit himself only to discussions about the negative role of the large intestine in the human body. He removed the entire colon (and with it the putrefactive bacteria). The surgeon performed nearly 1,000 such operations, “leaving countless victims,” the researchers wrote. And only in the 30s. In the 20th century, W. Lane’s activities began to be criticized.

What now?

Currently, scientists believe that it is time to abolish the list of “useless” organs, because Years of research show that previously called vestigial organs perform an important function, and sometimes more than one. According to biologists, the appendix has been preserved and evolved for at least 80 million years. Nature would not leave an unnecessary organ. Perhaps it is worth replacing the list of “unnecessary” organs with a list of organs whose functions are not yet known to us?

The appendix is an important organ of the immune system

A more detailed study of the appendix revealed an abundance of lymphoid tissue- tissue that provides the protective abilities of the immune system. Lymphoid tissue makes up 1% of a person's body weight. Lymphocytes and plasma cells are formed in lymphoid tissue - the main cells that protect the human body from infection and fight it, if it does get inside. Lymphoid tissue is distributed in the body in the form of lymphoid organs: lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland (thymus), tonsils, Peyer's patches in the digestive tract. A particularly large number of Peyer's patches are found in the appendix. It is not for nothing that the appendix is called the “intestinal tonsil” (tonsils, like the appendix, are rich in lymphoid tissue - see figure).

Fig.4. Lymphoid tissue in the digestive tract:

1 - serous membrane (covers the intestine from the outside);

2 - muscular layer (middle layer of the intestine);

3 - mucous membrane (inner layer of the intestine);

4 - mesentery of the small intestine (anatomical structure in which vessels and nerves approach the intestine);

5 - single lymphoid nodules;

6 - group lymphoid nodule (Peyer's patch),

7 - circular folds of the mucous membrane.

Rice. 5. Cross section of the appendix (histological specimen). Hematoxylin-eosin staining.

1 - numerous depressions (crypts) in the mucous membrane of the appendix;

2 - lymphatic follicles (Peyer's patches);

3 - interfollicular lymphoid tissue.

Rice. 6. Microscopic structure of the palatine tonsil:

1 - tonsil crypts;

2 - integumentary epithelium;

3 - lymphoid nodules of the tonsil.

In other words, the appendix has a very powerful lymphatic system. Cells produced by the lymphoid tissue of the appendix are involved in protective reactions against genetically foreign substances, which is especially important considering that the digestive tract is a channel through which foreign substances constantly enter. Peyer's patches (a collection of lymphoid tissue) in the intestines and, in particular, in the appendix “stand” like guards at the border.

So, it has been absolutely proven that the appendix is a very important organ of the immune system.

The appendix is a repository of beneficial bacteria

In 2007, Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina, USA) published an article stating that the appendix is a repository of good bacteria (“Appendix isn’t useless at all: it’s a safe house for good bacteria”). .

Microorganisms involved in digestion live in the human intestine. Most of them are beneficial (Escherichia coli, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli), and some are conditionally pathogenic, which cause diseases only with reduced immunity (nervous stress, physical overload, alcohol intake, etc.). Normally, a balance is maintained between opportunistic and beneficial microorganisms.

With intestinal diseases (for example, dysentery, salmonellosis and many others), accompanied by diarrhea (loose stools), as well as with the activation of conditionally pathogenic microflora, the number of “useful” microorganisms sharply decreases. But in the appendix, as a repository of “useful” bacteria, they remain and contribute to the new colonization of the intestines after recovery and cessation of diarrhea. People without an appendix are more likely to develop dysbiosis after an intestinal infection (compared to people who have a preserved appendix). However, this does not mean that such people are doomed. Currently, there is a group of prebiotics and probiotics that help a person restore normal intestinal microflora.

The entrance to the appendix, as mentioned above, is only 1-2 mm in diameter, which protects the appendix from the penetration of intestinal contents, allowing the appendix to remain a so-called “incubator”, a “farm” where beneficial microorganisms multiply. That is, the normal microflora of the large intestine is stored in the appendix.

Conclusion

To summarize, we can distinguish 2 main functions of the appendix:

1) it is an important organ of the immune system;

2) this is a place of reproduction and storage of beneficial intestinal bacteria.

The appendix continues to be studied to this day, so it is quite possible that in the near future we will learn about its other functions. But even now we can say that there is no need to remove the appendix without a good reason. And this cause is inflammation of the appendix - acute appendicitis. In this case, it is necessary to remove the appendix, because the risk of complications and their severity are very high. Earlier, when epidemics were frequent and the drug market was relatively small, the role of the appendix was extremely significant. Nowadays, damaged microflora can be restored with the help of medications. And acute appendicitis most often affects people aged 10-30 years, and their immune system is stronger than that of American and German infants.

Therefore, if symptoms of acute appendicitis occur, you should immediately consult a doctor!

therapist A.V. Kosova

One thing is clear - this is not a residual organ, as previously thought. After all, it is intertwined with nerve fibers and a network of blood vessels, and there are more of them than in the large and small intestines combined.

The story is told by Elena Shchuplova, candidate of medical sciences, surgeon at the abdominal department of the Volyn Clinical Hospital No. 1 under the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

Necessary atavism

In a child's body, the appendix contains a lot of lymphoid tissue. By the way, it is he who is responsible for passive immunity, that is, the one that we all receive from our mother at birth. Another interesting fact: the small intestine contains conditionally pathogenic microflora. And a large amount of lymphatic tissue nearby, in the appendix, “forces” these microorganisms to continue to remain in such a suspended state, without becoming truly pathogenic.

There is even a theory that the appendix is the endocrine gland of human intrauterine development.

Appearances are deceiving

Externally, the appendix looks like a narrow, winding tube. At one end it opens into the lumen of the cecum, and the other end is closed. Its length in an adult ranges from 2 to 20 cm, but on average it does not exceed 10 cm. Inflammation of the appendix is one of the most common diseases in abdominal surgery. It accounts for almost 70% of all abdominal surgeries.

There are quite a few reasons why the appendix becomes inflamed: this is a nutritional factor, a violation of peristalsis, a failure of the immune system, and the simultaneous activation of conditionally pathogenic flora, plus a violation of blood flow and an outbreak of infection.

Non-permanent residence

Interestingly, the appendix is a mobile organ; it has only one point of attachment to the mesentery. In all people it is located in different places, and the clinical picture of inflammation of the appendix depends on this.

Symptoms may be similar to renal colic, cystitis, cholecystitis, and sometimes even pneumonia.

It is believed that in acute appendicitis, pain appears in the upper abdomen, after 2-4 hours it moves to the lower abdomen and goes to the right and down.

But since the same clinical picture is observed in gynecological pathology, if a woman is suspected of appendicitis, she must be examined by a gynecologist. By the way, women suffer from inflammation of the appendix much more often than men - almost twice as many.

Hurry to the doctor!

For any prolonged abdominal pain, you should consult a doctor, even if the pain is not on the right side. Do not try to do an enema, take a warm bath, or drink activated charcoal. This cannot help, but it can harm. It is better not to do anything until the ambulance arrives.

This condition is fraught with complications, which will then be difficult to get rid of. And if you delay the operation, the walls of the inflamed appendix may break through, pathogenic microorganisms contained in the pus will cause peritonitis (infection of the peritoneum), which can cost your life. As an option, intestinal fistulas form, something like a hole in the intestinal wall, fecal contents enter the stomach and also cause peritonitis.

The hospital will do a blood test and a physical examination. The examination will be prompt: doctors will need to find out what the content of inflammatory cells - leukocytes - is in the blood. If their number reaches twenty thousand per microliter (the norm is four to nine thousand), there is a high probability of appendicitis. Additional examination (blood biochemistry, urine test, abdominal ultrasound, etc.) is also necessary.

Then the doctor decides everything - either the patient is taken to the operating room, or, if there is an atypical picture of the disease, the patient is assigned to dynamic observation: he is given special tests every 2 hours, and is examined by a doctor, including a gynecologist and cardiologist, at regular intervals.

Chick - and you're done!

There is no other treatment other than surgery for appendicitis. Nowadays the operation is performed more often using laparoscopic equipment and only sometimes using the classical method, that is, using a scalpel.

Special laparoscopic instruments are inserted into the abdominal cavity through 3-4 small (0.5 cm to 1 cm) incisions in the abdominal wall. One of them is done through the navel. After the operation, there are practically no traces left on the skin.

Through one hole, a laparoscope with a video camera is inserted to monitor the progress of the operation on the monitor screen; through the others, laparoscopic clamps and scissors are inserted. Only general anesthesia will be used. In the future, the absence of the appendix will not threaten us; other organs will take over its role in the body’s immune defense.

The human appendix is a vestigial organ that has lost its original function during the process of evolution. But American researchers said they had discovered its true purpose.

There is a widespread belief in the world that a small appendix of the cecum, called the appendix, is a completely superfluous organ. Proponents of this belief argue this by the fact that people whose appendicitis has been removed by surgeons do not feel its absence and continue to live a full life. But scientists from Duke University Medical Center do not entirely agree with this, claiming that the appendix is a safe repository for beneficial bacteria that help a person quickly restore effective intestinal function after suffering from dysentery or cholera.

At the same time, Professor Bill Parker, who participated in the study, believes that the conclusions made by scientists do not mean that people should now preserve this organ at any cost. “You need to understand that in the case of appendicitis, the inflamed organ needs to be removed, and not try to leave it, risking your own life. And then, having learned that the appendix actually has a rather important function, some may endure acute pain, just so that the doctor does not send for surgery. This, of course, cannot be allowed,” said Professor Parker.

Nicholas Vardaxis, an associate professor in the department of health sciences at the Royal Institute of Technology in Melbourne, believes the theory put forward by his American colleagues makes sense. “I believe that there must actually be a place in the body where such beneficial bacteria are stored. But we must take into account that in the process of evolution, the human body improved, and the size of the appendix decreased. And, probably, those bacteria that we once needed to ensure normal functioning of the intestines in primitive conditions are no longer needed in such quantities. Therefore, they certainly can be stored in the appendix of the cecum, but do they really have such a strong influence on the functioning of the body, given that even without the appendix the body performs all the necessary functions,” the scientist reflects.

For example, writes the PBS resource, Vardaxis compared the human appendix with the koala appendix, which is a rather large appendage that helps the animal digest eucalyptus leaves. The marsupial bear's daily diet consists almost entirely of them. “Now the koala needs the appendix in exactly this form, but if you fantasize and imagine that animals will begin to mutate and eat other food, then it is possible that their appendix will also turn into a vestigial organ over time, and koalas, like people, will suffer from appendicitis,” - Nicholas Vardaxis suggested.