Appendiceal Agenesis: A Very Rare Intraoperative Diagnosis – A Case Report

BACKGROUND: Appendiceal agenesis is a rare intraoperative diagnosis which occurs in 0.001% of laparotomies done for presumed acute appendicitis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of appendiceal agenesis in our country and the second in Africa. CASE PRESENTATION: A 19 year old Ethiopian female student came with clinical and imaging findings of acute appendicitis. No history of previous abdominal surgery and similar illness. The vermiform appendix could not be identified following laparotomy performed for the assumption of acute appendicitis. The surgical exploration also revealed no cause for the abdominal pain. Then appendiceal agenesis was declared with an additional diagnosis of nonspecific abdominal pain (NSAD). The postoperative follow-up was uneventful. CONCLUSION: Appendiceal agenesis is a rare malformation which demands a careful examination and meticulous laparotomic/laparoscopic exploration for diagnosis.