Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Acute appendicitis in preschool-age children

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

During the last 11 years, 122 children aged less than 5 years underwent appendectomy with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis. At surgery, 29 children (24%) presented with acute suppurative appendicitis, 64 children (52%) perforated appendices and 26 children (21%) with appendiceal abscess. In three cases (2%) there was no acute intra-abdominal process. In this study the following data were analysed: age, gender, symptoms, duration of symptoms, whether seen by a physician prior to admission and surgery, physical findings, stage of the disease at operation, histology, postoperative complications and mortality. Conclusion:The accurate diagnosis in early childhood appendicitis is still a difficult matter. The responsibility of the paediatric surgeon is mainly the clinical examination with all his clinical skills and facilities and if serious doubt still exists, to proceed with a laparotomy in order to reach a definite diagnosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Albiston E (2002) The role of radiological imaging in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Can J Gastrenterol 16: 451–463

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bachoo P, Mahomed AA, Niman GK, Youngson GG (2001) Acute appendicitis: the continuing role for active observation. Pediat Surg Int 17: 125–128

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cappendijk VC, Hazebroek FWJ (2000) The impact of diagnostic delay on the course of acute appendicitis. Arch Dis Child 83: 64–66

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Daehlin L (1982) Acute appendicitis during the first three years of life. Acta Chir Scand148: 291–294

    Google Scholar 

  5. Deutsch A, Leopold GR (1981) Ultrasonic demonstration of the inflamed appendix. Radiology 140: 163–164

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Deutsch AA, Zelikovsky A, Reiss R (1982) Laparoscopy in the prevention of unnecessary appendectomies: a prospective study. B J Surg 69: 336–337

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Dolgin SE, Beck AR, Tartter PI (1992) The risk of perforation when children with possible appendicitis are observed in the hospital. Surg Gynecol Obstr 175: 320–324

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Douglas CD, Macpherson NE, Davidson PM (2000) Randomised controlled trial of ultrasonography in diagnosis of acute appendicitis, incorporating the Alvarado score. BMJ 321: 919–922

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gamal R, Moore TC (1990) Appendicitis in children aged 13 years and younger. Am J Surg159: 589–592

    Google Scholar 

  10. Graham J, Pokorny W, Harberg F (1980) Acute appendicitis in preschool age. Am J Surg 139: 247–250

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Jobst M (1991) Zur Diagnostik der Appendizitis im Kleinkindesalter. Paediatr Grenzgeb30: 485–490

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jones PF (1976) Active observation in management of acute abdominal pain in childhood. BMJ 2: 551–553

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Leapé LL, Romanofsky ML (1980) Laparoscopy for questionable appendicitis: can it reduce the negative appendectomy rate? Ann Surg 191: 410–413

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Mason JH, Byrne MP, Gan FC (1977) Surgery of the vermiform appendix. Surg Clin North Am 57: 1303–1315

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Nance M, Adamson W, Hedrick H (2000) Appendicitis in the young child: a continuing diagnostic challenge. Pediatr Emergency Care 16: 160–163

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Neilson IR, Laberge J-M, Nguyen LT (1990) Appendicitis in children: current therapeutic recommendations. J Pediatr Surg 25: 1113–1116

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Paajanen H, Scomppi E (1996) Early childhood appendicitis is still a difficult diagnosis. Acta Paediatr 85: 459–462

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Putnam TC, Gagliano N, Emmens RW (1990) Appendicitis in children. Surg Gynecol Obstet 170: 527–532

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Rappaport WD, Peterson M, Stanton C (1989) Factors responsible for the high perforation rate seen in early childhood appendicitis. Am Surg 55: 602–605

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Reynolds SL, Jaffe DM (1992) Diagnosing abdominal pain in a pediatric emergency department. Pediatr Emergency Care 8: 126–128

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Samelson SL, Reyes HM (1987) Management of perforated appendicitis in children-revisited. Arch Surg 122: 691–695

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Sherif E, Laberge J-M, Mikhail P, Baican L, Flageole H, Ngugyn L, Shaw K (2003) Appendicitis in children: a ten-year update of therapeutic recommendations. J Pediatr Surg 38: 236–242

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Sivit C, Newman K, Boenning D, Nussbaum-Blask A, Bulas D, Bond S (1992) Appendicitis: usefulness of US in diagnosis in a paediatric population. Radiology 185: 549–552

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Teicher I, Landa B, Cohen M, Kabnick L, Wise L (1983) Scoring system to aid in diagnoses of appendicitis. Ann Surg 198: 753–759

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Waldschmidt J, Charissis G, Kaufmann H (1990) Akutes Abdomen im Kindersalter. VCH Edition Medizin, Weinheim pp 422–439

  26. Williams A, Kapila L (1994) Acute appendicitis in the under 5-year-old. J R Coll Surg Edin 39:168–170

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. George Sakellaris

    Present address: , El. Venizelou 105, 70014 Crete, Greece

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

    George Sakellaris, Stefanos Tilemis & Giorgos Charissis

Authors
  1. George Sakellaris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefanos Tilemis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Giorgos Charissis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Sakellaris.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sakellaris, G., Tilemis, S. & Charissis, G. Acute appendicitis in preschool-age children. Eur J Pediatr 164, 80–83 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-004-1568-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-004-1568-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation