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Appendicitis

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Fundamentals of Pediatric Surgery

Abstract

Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency in children, yet variation in care remains considerable. Standardization of the diagnostic pathway, including ultrasound technique and reporting, has been shown to reduce the need for CT scan while improving diagnostic accuracy. Novel approaches combining clinical, laboratory, and sonographic data to establish risk profiles may further reduce the need for CT and the risk of negative appendectomy. Early appendectomy remains the standard treatment of acute appendicitis, though emerging data are challenging the role of appendectomy in both uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis. Use of oral antibiotics and the duration of antibiotics based on goal-directed endpoints are becoming more popular.

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Correspondence to Shawn J. Rangel MD, MSCE .

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Sidhwa, F., Glass, C., Rangel, S.J. (2017). Appendicitis. In: Mattei, P., Nichol, P., Rollins, II, M., Muratore, C. (eds) Fundamentals of Pediatric Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27443-0_65

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27443-0_65

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27441-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27443-0

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