Calculous disease of the vermiform appendix.

The formation of true calculi within the lumen of the vermiform appendix is a comparatively rare event, but the condition is of clinical importance because of the frequency with which such calculi give rise to serious complications. The main clinico-pathological features of calculous disease of the appendix, based on the examination of 2,000 appendix specimens, are presented in this report with the following objectives in view: to clarify the terminology of the various formed faecal objects which are found in the lumen of the appendix; to assess the incidence of calculous disease and its complications; to draw the attention of surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists to a disease which deserves wider recognition.