Clinical presentation of appendicitis in the paediatric age group

Abstract

Misdiagnosis and complications result from the unusual clinical presentation of acute appendicitis in school children. The aim of this study was to see how age affected clinical presentation, intraoperative findings and post-operational complications in children suffering from acute appendicitis. From November 2016 until December 2018, 112 children under the age of 16 years who underwent both emergency and elective appendectomy in Basaveshwar teaching and general hospital, Kalburgi, were enlisted in this retrospective research study. Out of 112 cases, the majority of the cases, i.e., 60 (54%) were males, followed by 52 females (46%), and the ratio of male to female was 1.5:1. An acute inflamed appendix was the commonest intra-operative observation in this study, i.e., in 92 cases (82%), followed by a perforated appendix in 9 cases, gangrenous mass in 6 cases, appendicular mass in 3 cases and Meckel's diverticulitis in 2 cases respectively. Wound gaping was seen in 4 (4%) cases and postoperative ileus in 3 (3%) cases, respectively. There was no mortality. Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency in the paediatric age group. Early diagnosis & surgery are the key factors in the management of paediatric appendicitis. The younger ones having a more altered general state & a higher tachycardia degree, indicating that the disease has had more systemic repercussions. Hence, when treating a young child suffering from acute abdominal pain and systematically addressing the question of whether it may be acute appendicitis, extreme caution is needed.