title: Appendiceal fecalith is associated with early perforation in pediatric patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A fecalith is a fecal concretion that can obstruct the appendix leading to acute appendicitis. We hypothesized that the presence of a fecalith would lead to an earlier appendiceal perforation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2001 and December 2005, the charts of all patients younger than 18 years old who underwent appendectomy at our institution were reviewed. Duration of symptoms and timing between presentation and operation were noted along with radiologic, operative, and pathologic findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 388 patients who met the study criteria. A fecalith was present in 31% of patients (n = 121). The appendix was perforated in 57% of patients who had a fecalith vs 36% in patients without a fecalith (P < .001). The overall rate of interval appendectomies was 12%. A fecalith was present on the initial radiologic studies of 36% of the patients who had interval appendectomies, and the appendix was perforated significantly sooner in these patients when compared to those without a fecalith (91 vs 150 hours; P = .036).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of fecalith is associated with earlier and higher rates of appendiceal perforation in pediatric patients with acute appendicitis. An expedient appendectomy should therefore be performed in the pediatric patient with a radiologic evidence of fecalith.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Diya I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Alaedeen
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Walter J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chwals
mesh_terms: D001062:Appendectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005244:Fecal Impaction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology