Surgical removal of the appendix.

• A. Hepatectomy
• B. Gastrectomy
• C. Appendectomy
• D. Colectomy

Answer: (C)

Removing the appendix surgically is called an appendectomy. The appendix is a small pouch attached to the beginning of the large intestine (the cecum). The suffix -ectomy denotes surgical removal, so appendectomy literally means removing the appendix. The other terms refer to removing different organs: hepatectomy is removal of the liver, gastrectomy is removal of part or all of the stomach, and colectomy is removal of part or all of the colon. So the procedure described aligns specifically with removing the appendix, not the liver, stomach, or colon. In practice, this operation is most commonly performed for appendicitis, and the operative note would document an appendectomy as the performed procedure.