The region which is experiencing pain is gently pressed by the doctor. When this pressure is released, the pain from appendicitis will worsen. This indicates a swollen adjacent peritoneum. A rigid abdomen is another indicative symptom that the doctor will look for. When a slight pressure is applied over the appendix, if it is inflamed, the abdominal muscles will stiffen in response.

This is also known as the Obraztsova’s sign test. The patient is made to lie on the left side, flexing the knee. When the patient’s hip is passively extended, if there is pain in the lower quadrant on the right side, it is indicative of appendicitis. A similar pain is also produced by active flexing of the hip in a supine position.

Appendicitis is basically a deep infection. Like any other infection, this condition leads to an increase in the number of WBCs or white blood corpuscles in the blood stream. Therefore, conducting a blood test to quantify the WBC count helps to determine if there is an infection. The usual level of the WBCs is under 10,000 cells per cubic millimeter. This coupled with abdominal pains helps to confirm appendicitis.

The liver produces a response protein when there is any infection or inflammation in the body.This is not a specific test, but is a good general test to check for acute infections. This also involves the analysis of a blood sample.

In many cases, the inflamed appendix is in contact with the muscle known as the obturator internus. This muscle is located at the rim of the pubis. Rotating and flexing the hip in such instances leads to a severe pain in hypogastrium (the region of the human abdomen below the navel). This pain is almost a sure indicator of appendicitis.

There are other causes of an abdominal pain and it is important to rule out other causes of it before narrowing on to appendicitis. An analysis of the patient’s urine helps to check whether the abdominal pain is being caused either by a urinary tract infection or by kidney stones. If the abdominal pain is being caused by a kidney stone, there will be red blood cells found during the microscopic examination of urine.

In a minority of patients (about 10 percent), X-ray imaging can be used to demonstrate the hard-formed feces in the appendix (fecolith). Though this is not confirmatory of appendicitis, it is medically agreed that the discovery of fecoliths is reason enough to conduct the surgery because this can further aggravate into appendicitis.

A color Ddoppler ultrasonogram often helps in determining whether a patient is suffering from appendicitis. This test, however, is always used in conjunction with physical examination and other laboratory studies. Circumferential colors can be observed in the walls of the inflamed appendix when it has been acutely infected. This is evidence enough for the doctors to proceed with surgery. This imaging is best advised for patients that exhibit atypical symptoms which usually occur in infants, toddlers, young women and elderly people.

For patients other than children and pregnant women, who have radiation concerns, CT scan is the most frequently used diagnostic tool for appendicitis. The CT scan reveals an enlarged appendix and appendicitis is diagnosed from the lack of contrast in the oral dye. The CT scan can also ‘see’ appendicitis in surrounding peritoneal fat when the actual appendix itself is not visible.