[Suspected appendicitis: immediate surgery or observation?]

Ruptured appendicitis involves a morbidity rate greater than that of negative exploration, and estimations of morbidity as high as 15% for negative laparotomy have been accepted by various investigators. We undertook a prospective analysis of 450 patients admitted to our hospital with suspected acute appendicitis, to identify those aspects in differentiating diseases that required surgery from those permitting observation. A prompt appendectomy was performed in 265 patients (59%). The appendix was normal in 4% of them. 185 patients were observed clinically and by laboratory investigations. None of them had to be operated on during the following 12 months of out-patient observation. We may conclude that clinical observation by an experienced physician may decrease the rate of negative laparotomies.