title: Clinicopathological review of 156 appendicectomies for acute appendicitis in children in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: a retrospective analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdomen in children. Late surgical intervention is often associated with increase morbidity and sometimes fatal outcome. We sought to determine the pattern of presentation of acute appendicitis, and the effect of late presentation on surgical outcome in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective descriptive study done at the paediatric surgical unit of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The hospital records of all 180 patients (15 years and below) treated for acute appendicitis, between January 1995 and December 2012, were reviewed; only 156 patients had adequate records out of which 139 cases confirmed histologically as having appendicitis were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 80 (57.6%) females and 59 (42.4%) males. The age range was 5-15 years with mean (SD) age of 11.2 (±2.9) years. Most patients (64.7%) were more than 10 years old. Sixty-four (46%) patients had simple appendicitis while 75 (54%) patients had complicated appendicitis. More children with complicated appendicitis (63, 84.0%) presented after 24 hours of abdominal pain; and they had more vomiting (59, 78.7%), spent longer days on admission (57, 76.0%) and had more post- operative complications (34, 45.3%) compared with uncomplicated appendicitis (25, 39.1%; 29, 45.3%; 7, 10.9%; 1, 1.6% respectively), and this was statistically significant (p < 0.05). No mortality was recorded among these children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Late presentation was common and was associated with longer duration of hospital stay and high morbidity. No mortality was recorded from the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University/Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. ademolatalabi1608@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Talabi O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Ademola
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University/Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. drshow286@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sowande A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Oludayo
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. sanuolowookere@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Olowookere A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University/Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. dretonyeaku@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Etonyeaku C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Amarachukwu
authors.affiliation: Department of Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. akinkomo1@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Komolafe O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Akinwunmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University/Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. sanya_adejuyigbe@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Adejuyigbe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olusanya
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001062:Appendectomy; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome