Silent but Significant: A Case Report of Appendiceal Mucocele

Abstract

Appendiceal mucocele is a rare disease that can sometimes mimic acute appendicitis or be discovered accidentally during surgeries. The clinical presentation of appendiceal mucocele is observed as lumen distension due to mucin accumulation. This condition has both benign and malignant underlying etiologies, which can be confirmed by histopathological examination. Acute presentation of appendiceal mucocele is rare and mostly resembles the symptoms of acute appendicitis. The treatment of appendiceal mucocele is crucial due to the risk of pseudomyxoma peritonei caused by the spread of mucus, mucocele perforation, or the presence of malignancy such as mucinous carcinoma. Surgical resection, either appendicectomy, typhlectomy, or sometimes right hemicolectomy, is the recommended management approach. This is a case of a 74-year-old male with pain in the abdomen as the major presenting complaint. He had a palpable right iliac fossa mass. The diagnosis of appendiceal mucocele was made by contrast-enhanced computed tomography, which was later confirmed by histopathology. The patient underwent surgical resection and was doing well at the three-month follow-up.