[Acute abdominal pain and appendicitis in childhood]

Abstract

The diagnosis of acute appendicitis is still difficult to ascertain in children. However, a complete anamnesis, an accurate physical examination as well as a careful evaluation of other medical and surgical possibilities causing abdominal pain allow to arrive to a correct diagnosis in 80% of cases. Laboratory findings may be helpful but usually don't add further information. Each patient suspected to have appendicitis should be admitted to the hospital and kept under observation; if no improvement is registered during the following hours then a surgical exploration is needed. The surgeon, however, must be acquainted with the different medical affections causing abdominal pain in order to decide whether a laparotomy is required. The Authors report their experience in 426 patients submitted to appendectomy and stress the correlation between abdominal pain and intraoperative finding.