Complete subserosal embedding of the appendix-cecal complex presenting as a non-visualized appendix during pediatric laparoscopic appendectomy: a case report

Description

Guanghua Zhang and co-authors report a surgical puzzle: a child's appendix that could not be found. During keyhole surgery for appendicitis, the appendix usually shows itself along clear landmarks. In this rare variant, the appendix and the cecum around it sat buried under the bowel's outer lining, hiding every landmark. Their 2026 case report tells how the team solved it.

The patient was a seven-year-old boy with pain and scans fitting appendicitis. The surgeons traced the bowel's lengthwise bands and freed the cecum fully, yet saw no appendix. A careful cut in the lining where the bands meet exposed the buried organ, and removal took forty-five minutes with almost no blood loss. Tissue tests confirmed acute appendicitis, and the boy stayed well at six months. The authors offer their search strategy for the next team that faces a missing appendix.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13582520