title: Neurogenic appendicopathy in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In a prospective multicenter study, we could show that neurogenic appendicopathy is a histological entity. This study compares the general and the pediatric population with respect to clinical presentation and incidence of neurogenic appendicopathy (NA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Included were patients that underwent appendectomy for suspected appendicitis, excluded were patients younger than 6 years and patients with missing data. Neurogenic appendicopathy was diagnosed by S-100 immunochemistry and/or haematoxylineosin (H.E.) staining. Two age groups (< or = 14 y and > 14 y) were compared with respect to the frequency of NA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In only four cases out of 84 children (4.8%) did we find neurogenic appendicopathy compared to 48 patients (24.2 %) out of 198 adolescents and adults. In the subgroup with negative appendectomy, the frequency of NA was 16.7% (< or = 14 years) and 56.6% (> 14 years). A clinical differentiation between neurogenic appendicopathy and acute appendicitis was not possible because of the small sample size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurogenic appendicopathy is a very rare histopathological entity in children. History and clinical examination do not make it possible for us to differentiate preoperatively between acute appendicitis and neurogenic appendicopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Trauma Surgery, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany. Claus.Franke@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.forename: C-D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gerharz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Böhner
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ohmann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heydrich
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Krämling
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurpreugsch
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Willnow
authors.forename: H-D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Röher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001062:Appendectomy; D001063:Appendiceal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D001065:Appendix / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009463:Neuroma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies