Appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix) is potentially fatal; consequently, patients with symptoms strongly suggesting appendicitis almost always have their appendix removed  The appropriate surgery is low-risk but performed unnecessarily in about 20 percent of all cases  A newly developed internal scan for appendicitis is highly accurate, producing two misdiagnoses for every 98 correct diagnoses
Clearly, using this test, doctors can largely avoid unnecessary removals of the appendix without, however, performing any fewer necessary ones than before, since
the only patients who are misdiagnosed using this test are patients who lack one or more of the symptoms that are generally associated with appendicitis