Every year about 80,000 children in the US undergo appendectomies making it the
most common surgical procedure among kids. A new study by the University of
Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis has revealed that for children with
perforated appendix early appendectomy is better as children could return to
routine activities like school and sports an average 6-days earlier.
The two common surgical options for children with a perforated appendix are
early appendectomy (surgical removal of appendix within 24hours) and interval
appendectomy (surgical removal of appendix after 6-8weeks of initial
diagnosis). So far it was believed that the chances of infection in interval
appendectomy are less as it allows the contamination in the peritoneal cavity
to resolve. However the new study has found that early appendectomy was linked to
fewer complications like infection of the surgical site and intra-abdominal abscess.
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix with intense, migrating abdominal pain caused by obstruction due to tumors, feces, or infection.
The team studied the results of 131 patients below 18-years of age, who were diagnosed with appendicitis and a perforated appendix. 64 children were advised early appendectomy, while remaining 67 were advised interval appendectomy on random basis. The study revealed that in case of early appendectomy children could return to normal routine activities within 14days, while this duration was 19-days for children who were assigned for interval appendectomy. The chances of complications were 30% for early appendectomy and 55% for interval appendectomy.
Source: Medindia
Appendectomy - Animation
Slides and animation of Appendicitis and Appendectomy by both Open and Laparoscopic surgical methods.
 Delayed Appendectomy Not Linked to Adverse OutcomesPatients who have had acute appendicitis have not been affected by a delay of 12 hours or more in having an appendectomy,states a report. | Advertisement
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Kid Dies After Docs Fail to Diagnose Appendicitis
In a tragic incident, a six-year-old boy in Britain died due to a burst appendix after a number of doctors failed to diagnose the condition.
