5. Physical examination
By far, the most likely physical finding is abdominal tenderness,
which occurs in over 95% of patients with acute appendicitis.
Patients often find the right lateral decubitus position with slight
hip flexion as the position of maximal comfort. The abdomen is
generally soft with localised tenderness at or about McBurney’s
point.1
The patient is often flushed, with a dry tongue and an associated
faetor oris. A difference between axillary and rectal temperature
higher than 1 C indicates pelvic inflammation that may be due to
appendicitis or other pelvic inflammation.
Abdominal examination reveals painful tenderness and
muscular rigidity in the right iliac fossa. Rebound tenderness is
present, but should not be elicited to avoid distressing the patient.
Patients often find that movement exacerbates the pain, and if they
are asked to cough the pain will often be limited to the right iliac
fossa.
Percussion tenderness, guarding, and rebound tenderness are
the most reliable clinical findings indicating a diagnosis of acute
appendicitis. Voluntary muscle guarding in the right lower quadrant
is common and usually precedes the tenderness. The follow
signs of acute appendicitis are the mostly described, but all of them
occur in less than 40% of patients with acute appendicitis, and even
their absence should not prevent the examiner from establishing an
accurate diagnosis1,2,7:
- Blumberg’s rebound pain; (Fig. 1A)
- Rovsing’s sign e pain that is referred to the area of maximal
tenderness during percussion or palpation of the left lower
quadrant; (Fig. 1B)
- a positive psoas (right lower quadrant pain with extension of
the right hip); (Fig. 1C)
- obturator (right lower quadrant pain with flexion and internal
rotation of the right hip) sign depends on the location of the
appendix in relation to these muscles and the degree of
appendiceal inflammation. (Fig. 1D)
Rectal examination offers little towards furthering diagnostic
accuracy. Rectal examination should be reserved for those in whom
pelvic or uterine pathology is suspected, or in atypical presentations
that suggest pelvic or retrocaecal appendicitis