• The American surgeon · Nov 2007

    Can acute appendicitis be treated by antibiotics alone?

    • Katherine Liu, Sadie Ahanchi, Mark Pisaneschi, Irene Lin, and Robert Walter.
    • John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. kliu@rush.edu
    • Am Surg. 2007 Nov 1; 73 (11): 1161-5.

    AbstractEmergency appendectomy at presentation has been the standard of care for acute appendicitis. We examined the use of antibiotics as an alternative treatment. From September 2002 to August 2003, 170 consecutive patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis without abscess were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups: Group I (n=151) underwent emergency appendectomy and Group II (n=19) received antibiotics alone. The mode of treatment was at the attending surgeon's discretion. The overall complication rate was eight per cent for Group I and 10 per cent for Group II patients (P = 0.22). Group II patients suffered no complications during antibiotic treatment, and any complications that did occur developed after subsequent appendectomy. One Group II patient had recurrent appendicitis (5%). The length of stay was 2.61 +/- 0.21 days for Group I and 2.95 +/- 0.38 days for Group II patients (P = 0.57). Patients with acute appendicitis may be treated safely with antibiotics alone without emergency appendectomy.

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