Is it Possible to Manage Appendicular Mass Without Surgery?

Background: Three ways are available to manage appendicular mass; two of them include surgical intervention. The third approach is conservative treatment and follow-up without interval appendectomy. Objective: To evaluate the outcome of conservative treatment for the appendicular mass and to assess the incidence of acute appendicitis in those patients. Methods: In a study, 98 patients with appendicular mass were divided into two groups. Group A, consisting of 55 patients, was treated with conservative management without appendectomy, while Group B, consisting of 43 patients, was treated with conservative treatment followed by interval appendectomy 8 weeks later. For Group A, the mass was monitored via ultrasound examination every 3-5 days until it subsided, which took 12-25 days. Group B had two admission periods, initially and after the interval. Results: The study found that appendicular mass occurred frequently in patients aged 21–30 in both groups, and there were no significant differences in age and gender between group A and group B. The resolving time of appendicular mass and the duration of the symptom were also not significantly different between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference between Group A and Group B in terms of overall hospitalization time, with Group B having two admission periods. Conclusions: Conservative management, without interval appendectomy, is the preferred method for treating appendicular mass due to the low incidence of acute appendicitis recurrence. This method can avoid unnecessary surgical intervention and associated complications.