A Century of Post-Traumatic Appendicitis: A Comprehensive Review with an Illustrative Case

Background and Clinical Significance: Acute appendicitis following blunt abdominal trauma is a rare and historically debated clinical entity. We present a century-spanning descriptive review of 106 cases of post-traumatic appendicitis, embedded with an illustrative pediatric case initially managed conservatively. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines across PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, encompassing a 100-year period (1925–2025). Clinical variables, trauma mechanisms, and outcomes were extracted and statistically analyzed by age cohort (Pediatric ≤ 18 vs. Adult > 18) and historical medical era. Results: A total of 106 cases were analyzed. High-energy trauma predominated in adults compared to the pediatric cohort (48.8% vs. 18.5%, p = 0.001). The overall complication rate was exceptionally high (66.0%), with no significant difference between pediatric and adult cohorts (61.5% vs. 73.2%, p = 0.293). An epoch-based analysis revealed a significant drop in perforation rates from the historical era (1925–1980) to the modern era (2001–2025) (51.7% to 27.0%, p = 0.033) due to improved diagnostic timelines. Crucially, purely mechanical injuries such as complete appendiceal auto-amputation remained a constant signature of blunt trauma across the century (11.5% overall rate). Conclusions: Our synthesis of historical cases suggests that post-traumatic appendicitis might be a relevant clinical entity where trauma mechanics appear to play a significant role in injury severity, irrespective of patient age. While conservative management could be feasible and safe in the acute setting of uncomplicated cases, we hypothesize that the initial kinetic impact might cause subtle structural changes or alter local appendiceal dynamics, potentially predisposing the organ to recurrent inflammation, warranting close follow-up or elective surgery.