Is there still a place for interval appendectomy?

In order to find out whether an interval appendectomy is necessary after an appendicitis with a palpable mass, we retrospectively studied the reports of 50 patients who underwent an interval appendectomy. Out of the 50 patients 5 (10%) developed complications of the appendiceal mass. Intraoperative findings of the interval appendectomy: 32 (64%) had adhesions; 2 (4%) appendices were resorbed; 2 (4%) had an abscess 42 (84%) still had signs of inflammation. Seven (12%) patients had diseases other than appendicitis. Four patients (8%) had diseases which needed further treatment. Eight percent of the patients had perioperative complications. We conclude that an interval appendectomy should only be performed on special indications.