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The presentation of appendicitis in preadolescent children

Joshua M Colvin1, Richard Bachur, Anupam Kharbanda

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. jc2506@columbia.edu

Pediatric Emergency Care
|December 20, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Appendicitis in young children often presents with nausea, right lower quadrant tenderness, and inability to walk. Fever, vomiting, and diarrhea are not reliable indicators in this age group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Surgical Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency in children.
  • Clinical presentation can vary significantly in preadolescent children, posing diagnostic challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the clinical presentation of appendicitis in preadolescent children.
  • To identify differences in symptoms across age-stratified subgroups.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected de-identified dataset.
  • Inclusion of patients aged 3 to 11 years presenting with appendicitis symptoms.
  • Calculation of appendicitis rates, perforation, negative appendectomy, and diagnostic accuracy of clinical variables.

Main Results:

  • Of 379 children, 121 (32%) had appendicitis, with a 20% perforation rate.
  • The youngest subgroup (3-5.99 years) had the highest perforation rate (53%).
  • Key indicators included inability to walk (82%), right lower quadrant tenderness (82%), and nausea (79%). Fever, vomiting, and diarrhea were not significantly associated with appendicitis.

Conclusions:

  • Nausea, right lower quadrant tenderness, and inability to walk are sensitive indicators of appendicitis in preadolescent children.
  • Peritoneal signs, though infrequent, are highly specific for appendicitis.
  • Fever, vomiting, and diarrhea are unreliable symptoms for diagnosing appendicitis in this population.
Abstract

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