Burst Appendix casuing Fallopian Tube Damage

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hey My name is sarah, my 17 year old daughter had an operation in 2007, where she had a burst appendix and something wrong with her bowels and the doctor operated her and she was in hospital for 3 weeks. after the operation, she was 100% fine, she became to her normal health in few months, she started sports, everything else normally. Since the operation she didnt have any other problems what so ever, however, one of my friends told me that normally a burst appendix could result in damages to the fallopian tubes, but she's been having her normal regular periods and everything is fine with her at the moment. My question is , is this true and does burst appendix always cause in damage to the fallopian tubes?? and how can i find it out?? Many Thanks Sarah

Dear Sarah: When the appendix ruptures it releases pus into the abdomen. The operation is aimed at removing the appendix and the pus. As the body heals scar tissue is left behind. At times the scar tissue may affect the fallopian tubes but this is not always the case. When the tubes are affected, the scar tissue may distort the shape of the tubes. The long term effect of distorting the fallopian tubes is an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is one in which the fetus implants in a location outside of the uterus.

There are test that can be done to determine if the fallopian tubes are normal. However, it is not necessary at this time for your daughter to undergo these tests since she is not having any problems. In the future should she have difficulty conceiving a child then these tests may be indicated.