RESUMEN
Background: There are few studies on appendiceal abscess with appendicolith in children under 3 years old. This study aims to explore the success rate of non-surgical treatment of appendiceal abscess and assess the potential influence of an appendicolith on non-surgical treatment outcomes in children under 3 years old. Methods: The clinical data of children under 3 years old who were diagnosed with appendiceal abscess at the Wuhan Children's Hospital, China, from February 2013 to May 2020 were collected. According to the findings of ultrasonography and CT imaging, they were divided into two groups, namely, the appendicolith group and the non-appendicolith group. Results: A total of 94 children with appendiceal abscess were identified, meeting the specified study criteria, and categorized into two groups, namely, the appendicolith group (n = 51, 54.3%) and the non-appendicolith group (n = 43, 45.7%). Non-surgical treatment was unsuccessful in six out of the 94 children, yielding an overall success rate of 93.6% for non-surgical management of appendiceal abscess in children under 3 years old. The success rate for non-surgical treatment in the appendicolith subgroup was 90.2%, whereas that for the non-appendicolith subgroup was 97.7%. No statistically significant distinction was observed between the two groups (P = 0.292). Likewise, there were no significant differences in gender, age, duration of symptoms, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, rebound pain, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, and abscess cross-sectional area between the appendicolith group and the non-appendicolith group. However, there is a statistical difference in tenderness in the right lower abdomen. Conclusion: Non-surgical treatment of appendiceal abscess has a high success rate and can be considered an effective treatment strategy. In pediatric patients under 3 years old without evidence of complete intestinal obstruction or diffuse peritonitis, non-surgical treatment may be considered for appendiceal abscess.
RESUMEN
A Best Evidence Topic in general surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'Appendiceal phlegmon in adults: Do we know how to manage it yet?'. Altogether 217 papers were found on Ovid Embase and Medline, 334 on PubMed and 13 on the Cochrane database using the reported search. From the screened articles, 5 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. We conclude that the best management method is conservative only treatment without interval appendicectomy. These patients must be followed up, including colonoscopy and/or CT imaging as indicated, to investigate for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease or malignancy masquerading as appendicitis.
RESUMEN
Appendiceal phlegmon is considered to be sequelae to acute appendicitis which presents as an appendiceal mass composed of the inflamed appendix, the adjacent bowel loops, and the greater omentum. The definitive diagnosis can be obtained by a CT scan of the abdomen. Though conservative management was the most practiced approach, recent studies have shifted the trends towards immediate appendicectomy for the management of appendiceal phlegmon. Thus, the management of appendiceal phlegmon has been debatable. Evidence to support this review was gathered via the PubMed database as this database uses the Medline, PubMed Central, and NLM databases and also offers a quick diverse search with up-to-date citations and numerous open-access free articles focused on Medicine. We did not include other databases like Google Scholar, Embase, and Scopus due to its limited access to free articles, recent articles, and citation information. Search terms used were combinations of "Appendicitis," "Appendiceal phlegmon", "Appendiceal phlegmon (AND) appendicectomy ". The resultant studies were reviewed and cross-referenced for additional reports. Emergency appendicectomy is defined as appendicectomy carried out during the same, initial admission. An elective or interval appendicectomy is an appendicectomy carried out four to six weeks after the initial episode at a later admission. The interval is bridged by antibiotics and conservative management. Emergency appendicectomy is considered to have a higher rate of complications when compared to conservative management for appendiceal phlegmon. However, interval appendicectomy requires multiple re-admissions, leads to delayed diagnosis of any underlying pathology, and an increased risk of recurrent appendicitis. In our review, we aimed to compare and contrast the effectiveness of the different treatment modalities available for appendiceal phlegmon. Though the meta-analyses showed an increased association of complications with emergency appendicectomy, they included studies conducted before the laparoscopic era. Emergency appendicectomy decreases the financial burden, re-admission rate, and aids in the early diagnosis of any underlying pathology. In the laparoscopic era, we can consider the shifting trends towards emergency appendicectomy for the management of appendiceal phlegmon.
RESUMEN
Background: In children less than 3 years of age, there is little experience in the nonoperative management of appendiceal phlegmon or abscess (APA), especially in APA with an appendicolith. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effects of an appendicolith and the success rate of nonoperative management for APA in these young children. Methods: Children younger than 3 years of age with APA who underwent attempted initial nonoperative treatment between January 2008 and December 2016 were reviewed. Based on the presence or absence of an appendicolith on admission ultrasonography examination or computed tomography scan, children were divided into two groups: appendicolith group and no appendicolith group. Results: There were 50 children who met the study criteria. Among 50 children, three children failed to respond to nonoperative treatment because of aggravated intestinal obstruction or recurrent appendicitis within 30 days of admission. The overall success rate for nonoperative management of APA was 94% (47/50) in children younger than 3 years old. The rate of diarrhea and CRP levels were higher in the appendicolith group than that of the no appendicolith group (P < 0.05). However, the success rate and the hospital length of stay for nonoperative treatment in the appendicolith group and the no appendicolith group were similar without statistical significance. Conclusion: APA with or without an appendicolith can have nonoperative management without immediate appendectomy in children less than 3 years old.
Asunto(s)
Absceso/terapia , Celulitis (Flemón)/terapia , Resultado del Tratamiento , Apéndice/lesiones , Apéndice/microbiología , Apéndice/fisiopatología , Preescolar , Impactación Fecal/terapia , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Masculino , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/métodos , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/normas , Ultrasonografía/métodosRESUMEN
Little is known about the possibility that ruptured appendicitis may produce a false sonographic appearance of intussusception. We present here a case of a periappendiceal phlegmon mimicking ileocolic intussusception on ultrasound in a 3.5-year-old girl and provide a surgico-anatomic explanation on the basis of the intraoperative findings for the false sonographic image. CT imaging was used to make the diagnosis. Intraoperatively, it was revealed that the cecum and sigmoid, which were adherent to each other with pseudomembranes, formed an intestinal mass around the appendix. Accordingly, the appendicolith at the center of the phlegmon was responsible for the central echogenicity, and the surrounding cecum and sigmoid for the external hypoechoic and hyperechoic rings of the target-sign appearing mass on the preoperative ultrasound. Such an understanding of the etiology of the false sonographic image may help to increase awareness and avoid misdiagnosis.