Appendiceal mucocele: the importance of getting a preoperative diagnosis

Appendiceal mucocele is a rare disease, found in only 0.4% of all appendectomied specimens. Achieving a preoperative diagnosis is of paramount importance because it permits choosing the most appropriate surgical technique. The algorithm for the selection of the type of surgery was provided by Dhage-Ivatury and Sugarbaker in 2006: in brief, laparotomy should be preferred over laparoscopy and the more locally advanced the disease is, the more invasive the resection should be.