7 Healthcast: No surgery for Appendicitis?

Dr. Edward Livingston believes there's a better way to deal with an inflamed appendix.

After doing months of research, Dr. Edward Livingston found a swollen appendix doesn't always lead to a ruptured one. A virus could be to blame, meaning anti-biotics, not surgery, could be the best option.

Dr. Livingston says he's surprised he got support from his colleagues.

"It's the most common operation done and quite frankly, people make their living doing this, so I thought I would get slaughtered by my colleagues, but in point of fact, it's been enthusiastically received everywhere in groups of surgeons," said Dr. Livingston.

Livingston in now working on a more extensive study, and he hopes to change the way appendicitis is treated completely.

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