Appendicitis is the most common surgical diagnosis for children
who present with abdominal pain to the emergency department. However,
there are nonspecific examination findings and variable historical
features during its presentation. Diagnosis of appendicitis in the
pediatric patient may be challenging for the clinician dealing with
these patients. It is important to have a high index of suspicion and
taking a detailed history and physical examination. In diagnosis of
appendicitis, adjunctive studies that may be useful are the white blood
cell count, C-reactive protein, urinalysis, ultrasonography and
computerized tomography when necessary. When appendicitis is suspected,
patients should receive immediate surgical consultation, as well as
volume replacement and antibiotics if indicated. With this timely
approach it will be possible to prevent the significant morbidity that
is associated with delayed diagnoses in younger patients.
No comments:
Post a Comment