Appendicitis in Pregnancy: How Vestigial is this?

Appendicitis is a rare pregnancy associated surgical emergency, with appendectomy as the most frequent non obstetrical surgical procedure performed in pregnancy. Diagnostic delay increases maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality thereby highlighting the need for a prompt diagnosis and surgery. Two cases of appendicitis with pregnancy are being reported with abdominal pain as common presenting feature. One of these patients had fatal outcome probably due to delayed presentation, the other, however, was successfully managed with early surgical intervention leading to normal maternal and fetal outcome. Early surgical intervention in such cases merely on the basis of high index of suspicion is being emphasized.