[A fairly common complication of acute appendicitis (a propos of 42 cases of abscess of Douglas' pouch)].

After a brief review of the literature, 42 cases of Douglas-pouch peritonitis are described, with particular regard to those cases arosen as a complication of acute appendicitis. Symptomatology and anatomo-pathological pictures are carefully described and the most likely pathogenetic causes are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the surgical techniques used.