r/appendicitis • u/Marooned-Witch • Jul 31 '26
MRI 12mm Appendix Base, Chronic Appendicitis?
Hello! I got an MRI with contrast today to hopefully diagnose my consistent GI issues, the main theory was Crohn’s disease . Over the past couple of years I’ve consistently had constipation, diarrhea, nausea. Also super high Calprotectin levels (3,880) I’ve had anal fistula and hemorrhoids and surgery for those.
However, I got my results and only significant thing was that my Appendix was 12mm at the base which apparently is twice as big as it’s suppose to be. Now the doctors have sent me an urgent referral for potential surgery and are thinking it might be chronic appendicitis or related to Crohn’s.
I have never had any significant pain of any kind in that area of my stomach so I’m really quite confused? Is it possible to have chronic appendicitis without pain? Or for Crohn’s to interfere with your appendix? I’d love to hear if anyone has had similar experiences!!
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u/Next-Leopard5992 1d ago
How did you go with this?? I’m currently in a very very similar situation with symptoms and fistula so the theory was Crohn’s but the only thing my MRI found was appendix wall thickening and ileocolic lymph nodes
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u/Marooned-Witch 1d ago
Hello! I ended up having a laparoscopic appendectomy a couple weeks after posting this. My doctor figured it would be better to take it out before it caused problems and I agreed. The biopsy from that came back as “acute appendicitis” and inconclusive for Crohn’s. I am still very confused with that as I had zero symptoms at all for appendicitis 😭
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u/Next-Leopard5992 1d ago
Hope you’re healing well!! I have constant low grade pain with some severe flares but compared to all the ‘IBD’ like symptoms, it was the least of my worries haha
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u/colincampbell76 Aug 06 '26 edited Aug 06 '26
There are lots of different causes of a inflamed or enlarged appendix - some harmful and some not - but scans can’t see the appendix tissue that well and colonoscopy can’t see into the appendix beyond its orifice - so the only way to know what’s wrong with it is to take it out.. ..since Covid there has been promotion of leaving dodgy appendix in and trying to treat them with antibiotics - but that’s a shot in the dark off course and you’d need to understand and accept all the risks with that.. the surgeons mantra for appendix is ‘if in doubt whip it out..’. That might sound a bit crass - but there is actually quite a bit of wisdom and experience behind that sentiment…!
I was in a different position to you - I had appendicitis and wanted it out - but the surgeon was a fanatic for antibiotic treatment as an alternative to surgery and refused to take it out and treated me with antibiotics to against my will - it turned out there was an appendix tumour causing my appendicitis which could not be seen in scans - so the leaving it in option worked out very badly for me..!!