A 34-year-old man presents to your clinic asking about an elective appendectomy. He has no history of appendicitis. What are possible indications for appendectomy in this patient?
A. Planned travel to a remote place with no surgical careIncidental appendectomy is generally not indicted. A few select indications could be considered and they include children about to undergo chemotherapy, the disabled who cannot describe pain or react normally to pain, patients with Crohn disease when the cecum is free of macroscopic disease, and those patients planning to travel to remote areas with limited surgical care. While part of the traditional teaching, the ubiquity of antibiotics and the evolving understanding of our ability to treat at least some appendicitis nonoperatively may further limit the indications for elective, incidental appendectomy.