• Jeff Armstrong, Neil Merritt, Sarah Jones, Leslie Scott, and Andreana Bütter.
• Division of General Surgery, Western University, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario.
• J. Pediatr. Surg. 2014 May 1;49(5):782-5.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine if early, acute appendicitis in children can be safely and effectively managed with antibiotics alone.MethodsA retrospective review was performed of children (<18 yrs) treated non-operatively (NOM) for early, acute appendicitis since May 2012. These were compared to patients treated with appendectomy between January 2011 and October 2011 (OM). Inclusion criteria included: (a) symptoms <48 h, (b) localized peritonitis, and (c) ultrasound findings consistent with early, acute appendicitis.ResultsTwelve patients (66% female, mean age 12.2,SD=4.2 yrs) were treated non-operatively, while 12 (50% female, mean age 12.5,SD=3.2 yrs) were treated operatively. Two NOM children (16.7%) required initial appendectomy. One patient developed recurrent appendicitis requiring appendectomy 7 months post-discharge. Four other NOM patients returned with symptoms but did not require admission or surgery. Two OM patients (8.3%) had hospital visits and admissions related to surgical site infections. Mean length of stay (LOS) for the first visit was 1.5 days (SD=1.0d) (NOM) vs. 1.3 days (SD=0.5d) (OM) (p=0.61). Including first and subsequent admissions, mean LOS was 1.8 days (SD=1.1d) (NOM) vs. 1.7 days (SD=1.5d) (OM) (p=0.97).ConclusionEarly acute appendicitis in appropriately selected children can be successfully treated non-operatively. Randomized trials with longer follow-up are required.Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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