IMPORTANCE Pediatric appendicitis outcomes have been shown to be influenced by several patient-, surgeon-, and hospital-level factors. However, to our knowledge, no prior studies have investigated the effect of health care systems on outcomes. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that the outcomes of children with appendicitis are better in the Canadian single-payer universal health care system t...

Purpose To clarify the clinical features of appendicitis in preschool children and to explore clinical appendicitis scoring systems in this age group. Methods We retrospectively collected data on 142 children, aged 10 years or younger, with confirmed diagnosis of appendicitis based on surgical and pathologic findings. Enrolled subjects were divided into two groups: Group 1 (preschool children...

OBJECTIVE Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal surgery in children. Similarity between signs and symptoms of appendicitis and other common pediatric illnesses, atypical manifestations of appendicitis in young children, and children's inability to give precise explanation for their symptoms contribute to considerable delay in proper diagnosis and increased rate of perforation...

OBJECTIVE Appendicitis is the most common non-traumatic surgical abdominal disorder in children aged 2-years or older. It is generally believed that delay in diagnosis and surgery of acute appendicitis is associated with a more advanced stage of disease and a higher morbidity. The aim of this retrospective study was to document the clinical features of acute appendicitis (AA), and to describe t...

There have been several case reports documenting acute appendicitis complicated by perforation presenting with retroperitoneal abscess formation. To date, there are no case reports of acute appendicitis in which the only sign for retroperitoneal perforation is the presence of retroperitoneal air as detected by computed tomography (CT). In the case presented, an 18-year-old male presented to the...

Eighty-one cases of acute appendicitis in children aged less than six years were identified in the Belfast urban area between 1985 and 1992. Appendiceal perforation, found in 43%, was related to symptom duration but not to age at presentation. Prolongation of symptoms was related to parental delay in seeking medical advice (52% > 36 hours), delayed or inappropriate general practitioner referral...

QUESTION While the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is relatively straightforward, chronic appendicitis is an entity that can be controversial and is often misdiagnosed. How and when should clinicians be investigating chronic appendicitis as a cause of chronic and recurrent abdominal pain in the pediatric population? ANSWER Chronic appendicitis is a long-standing inflammation or fibrosis of th...

BACKGROUND To identify clinical features that distinguish children with appendicitis who visited the emergency department twice or more from those diagnosed on the first visit to the emergency department. METHODS A retrospective review of all children with appendicitis diagnosed in the emergency department between January and December 2004 was conducted. Records were reviewed for all patients...

A 1 year review of 529 cases of acute appendicitis, treated at the University Hospital in 1990, was performed. Perforation rate was 23.7% and delay in diagnosis was found to be significant. Patients above 50 years of age were particularly at risk. Diagnostic error was 19.3% and it was a problem not only in young women but also in children. Temperature and rectal examinations were not found to b...

Ascariasis is a common worm infestation in developing and under-developed countries. It is caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with Ascaris eggs from faeces and is more common in places with poor sanitation. Almost 25% of the world population is infested by Ascaris lumbricoides. Although ascariasis is a chronic disease, it can present as acute abdomen rarely. The wandering nature of As...