Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The appendix is a closed-ended, narrow
tube that attaches to the cecum (the
first part of the colon) like a worm. (The anatomical name for the appendix,
vermiform appendix, means worm-like appendage.) The inner lining of the appendix
produces a small amount of mucus that flows through the
appendix and into the cecum. The wall of the appendix contains lymphatic tissue
that is part of the
immune system for making antibodies.
Like the rest of the colon, the wall of the appendix also contains a layer of
muscle.
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. It is thought that appendicitis
begins when the opening from the appendix into the cecum becomes blocked. The
blockage may be due to a build-up of thick mucus within the appendix or to stool that
enters the appendix from the cecum. The mucus or stool hardens, becomes
rock-like, and blocks the opening. This rock is called a fecalith (literally, a
rock of stool). At other times, the lymphatic tissue in the appendix may swell and block the appendix. Bacteria which normally are found within the appendix
then begin to invade (infect) the wall of the appendix. The body responds to the
invasion by mounting an attack on the bacteria, an attack called inflammation.
(An alternative theory for the cause of appendicitis is an initial rupture of
the appendix followed by spread of bacteria outside the appendix.. The cause of
such a rupture is unclear, but it may relate to changes that occur in the
lymphatic tissue that line the wall of the appendix.)
If the inflammation and infection spread through the wall of the appendix,
the appendix can rupture. After rupture, infection can spread throughout the
abdomen; however, it usually is
confined to a small area surrounding the appendix (forming a peri-appendiceal
abscess).
Sometimes, the body is successful in containing
("healing") the appendicitis without surgical treatment if the infection and
accompanying inflammation do not spread throughout the abdomen. The
inflammation, pain and symptoms may disappear. This is particularly true in
elderly patients and when antibiotics are used. The patients then may come to
the doctor long after the
episode of appendicitis with a lump or a mass in the right lower abdomen that is
due to the scarring that occurs during healing. This lump might raise the
suspicion of cancer.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis often causes
fever, loss of appetite, and right lower
quadrant abdominal pain. Delay in surgery can result in appendix rupture with potentially serious complications.
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
While the patient's history and physical examination are the building blocks
of making a medical diagnosis, the ability to peer inside the body can be a
powerful tool. Ultrasound is an imaging technique that provides that
ability to medical practitioners.
What is an ultrasound?
Ultrasound produces sound waves that are beamed into the body causing return
echoes that are recorded to "visualize" structures beneath the skin. The ability
to measure different echoes reflected from a variety of tissues allows a shadow
picture to be constructed. The technology is especially accurate at seeing the
interface between solid and fluid filled spaces. These are actually the same
principles that allow SONAR on boats to see the bottom of the ocean.
What is ultrasonography?
Ultrasonography is body imaging using ultrasound in medical diagnosis. A
skilled ultrasound technician is able to...
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