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. 2020 Aug 31:59:274-277.
doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2020.08.033. eCollection 2020 Nov.

Appendiceal phlegmon in adults: Do we know how to manage it yet?

Pedram Panahi  1 , Rashid Ibrahim  1 , Pushpa Veeralakshmanan  1 , James Ackah  1 , Mark Coleman  1
Affiliations

Appendiceal phlegmon in adults: Do we know how to manage it yet?

Pedram Panahi et al. Ann Med Surg (Lond). .

Abstract

A Best Evidence Topic in general surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'Appendiceal phlegmon in adults: Do we know how to manage it yet?'. Altogether 217 papers were found on Ovid Embase and Medline, 334 on PubMed and 13 on the Cochrane database using the reported search. From the screened articles, 5 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. We conclude that the best management method is conservative only treatment without interval appendicectomy. These patients must be followed up, including colonoscopy and/or CT imaging as indicated, to investigate for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease or malignancy masquerading as appendicitis.

Keywords: Appendiceal mass; Appendiceal phlegmon; Appendicular/appendix mass; Appendicular/appendix phlegmon; Conservative management; Early appendicectomy; Evidence-based medicine; Interval appendicectomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

None to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow chart for Ovid search (PubMed and Cochrane flow chart not included in this figure).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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