This retrospective study was conducted into 1.506 patients who had been admitted to the author's hospital for suspicion of acute appendicitis, between 1971 and 1979. Indications for appendectomy were handled with generosity, and primary laparotomy was applied to 44.2 per cent of all cases. Perforated appendicitis was of low incidence, accounting for only three per cent, while no acute inflammatory lesions were recordable at all from 36 per cent of removed appendices. Follow-up checks were made on all patients who had not been operated on, in the first place, not later than five years from first diagnosis. Only 15 per cent of these patients had to be eventually appendectomised. For them distribution of histological diagnoses was similar to that of patients with surgery as primary approach. Recurrence of pain was reported by one third of patients without surgery. However, only 14.9 per cent of them saw a doctor on their problem, and only 3.7 per cent had to be rehospitalised. Primary wait-and-see attitude caused no further increase in the incidence of perforated appendicitis.