For decades, the appendix has been dismissed as a useless organ — a leftover from human evolution with no real function.

Thousands of Czechoslovakians last week went to bed with gas masks at their bedsides. By law, every Czech citizen in cities must possess a gas mask before the end of June, and last week, reported ...

DEAR DOCTOR K: Why do doctors remove the appendix when someone has appendicitis? Don’t we need this organ? DEAR READER: Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. This small, fingerlike tube ...

Appendicitis is inflammation of the vermiform appendix (or just the appendix, for short), a little structure within the lower gastrointestinal tract. In appendicitis, the appendix swells, causing a ...

There are four stages of appendicitis, which describe its severity and whether it has caused any complications: simple, supportive, gangrenous, and perforated. These range from mild inflammation ...

This small organ can cause big problems when inflammation sets in, potentially leading to life-threatening complications if left untreated. That nagging pain in your abdomen might be more than just a ...

We have all seen movies, series, and have known of someone in our lives who got their appendix removed. But do we know what this organ's actual role is? It is a small finger-like pouch, but has a role ...

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- The most common emergency surgical procedure in the U.S. is an appendectomy - removal of the appendix. But now there's mounting evidence that some patients can avoid or delay ...

A. Most people never think about their appendix – until it's causing them severe pain. The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch attached to the start of the large intestine on the lower right side ...