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Recurrence of acute appendicitis after non-operative treatment of appendiceal abscess in children: a single-centre experience

Pediatric Surgery International volume 30, pages 413–416 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Background/purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of recurrence of acute appendicitis after initial successful non-operative treatment of appendiceal abscess in children.

Methods

This study was an observational cohort study of children treated non-operatively for appendiceal abscess at a large tertiary referral centre from 2006 to 2010. The primary outcome was recurrence of acute appendicitis. Secondary outcome variables were re-admission and interval appendectomy.

Results

Eighty-nine patients were discharged after successful non-operative treatment of appendiceal abscess. The median age was 10.1 (1.3–16.3) years. Nine patients underwent surgery during the follow-up period. Five patients were re-admitted with ongoing symptoms leading to an appendectomy. They all returned shortly after discharge and are considered failures of initial treatment. Two of 82 patients returned with a new episode of acute appendicitis during the trial period. Hence, the recurrence rate was 2.4 % during 5.1 years of follow-up.

Conclusion

Our data support the strategy of not performing an interval appendectomy after successful non-operative treatment with antibiotics of an appendiceal abscess in children.

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Fig. 1

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Jan F. Svensson, Rasmus Johansson, Sylvie Kaiser & Tomas Wester

Authors
  1. Jan F. Svensson
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  2. Rasmus Johansson
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  3. Sylvie Kaiser
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  4. Tomas Wester
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jan F. Svensson.

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Svensson, J.F., Johansson, R., Kaiser, S. et al. Recurrence of acute appendicitis after non-operative treatment of appendiceal abscess in children: a single-centre experience. Pediatr Surg Int 30, 413–416 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-014-3484-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-014-3484-z

Keywords

  • Appendicitis
  • Abscess
  • Non-operative
  • Treatment
  • Children