[Acute abdominal pain and appendicitis in childhood].
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.
Belbusti
F
F
Divisione di Chirurgia Generale, Ospedale Civile di Urbino.
Signoretti
P
P
Stafoggia
P
P
Filomeni
N
N
Amodio
G
G
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant