Jason has just arrived home from school and complains
to his mother that he has a bad pain in his right side
and he feels quite sick. His mother notices that
he has a slight fever and remembers he did not
eat breakfast that morning nor did he eat the lunch
she had packed for school that day. The family doctor
is away on holidays so she decides to go to the local
hospital.
Jason is seen by a doctor in the Emergency
Department who asks him what the problem
is and how long he has been sick, then examines
him. He suspects acute appendicitis and contacts
the surgical registrar. The registrar agrees with the
diagnosis and discusses the need for an operation with Jason's mum. A white blood cell count done by the
Haematology laboratory supports this diagnosis. She agrees that Jason needs to have an operation to remove his appendix.
Jason goes to theatre and has an inflamed appendix removed. The appendix is sent by the surgeon to
Anatomical Pathology for examination under the microscope to confirm the diagnosis and to exclude any other conditions.
The specimen is prepared and placed on a glass slide ready for the pathologist to look at. The pathologist reviews the specimen under a microscope and confirms the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and notes that there are no other abnormalities of concern.
The pathologist then sends a written report of the findings to the surgeon. The surgeon will send a written report to Jason's local doctor and will discuss the situation with his patient.