title: Perforation rate relates to delayed presentation in childhood acute appendicitis.
abstract: To determine if perforation rate is a function of delayed diagnosis or delayed presentation in childhood acute appendicitis we performed a retrospective casenote review of 101 consecutive children undergoing emergency appendicectomy over a 12-month period. The perforation rate was 7% in those children presenting with symptoms of 1 day or less and was significantly greater (33%, Chi 2 = 9.45, P < 0.01) in those who had had symptoms for more than 1 day at presentation. There was no difference in in-hospital delay between the groups. A high perforation rate was found to be a feature of delayed presentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bello
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013997:Time Factors