[Errors in the differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children]

According to the authors' findings among 1027 children operated upon for appendicitis 61 children had diseases not related with inflammation of the appendicular process. Mesenterial lymphadenitis was observed intraoperatively in 34 cases, pneumococcic peritonitis-in 15, invagination of the small and large intestine-in 3, diverticulitis of Meckel's diverticulum-in 3, ovarian apoplexy-in 3, atonia of the urinary bladder-in 2. Diagnostic errors occurred as a result of improper analysis of the anamnesis data, rare incidence of the aforementioned diseases, and also due to the absence of reliable methods of objective laboratory and instrumental investigations of such patients.