Appendicitis in children

The evaluation of 100 patients ten years of age or younger in whom a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis had been made brings forth several points. 1. 1. In only 38 per cent of the patients in our series was the preoperative diagnosis confirmed by the pathologist. Of these patients 64.3 per cent were operated upon as emergencies. 2. 2. There was no significant difference in the age and sex distribution. 3. 3. The average admission temperature of the patients with pathologically acute appendicitis was lower than the average for patients with normal appendixes. Those patients with ruptured appendices had the highest average admission temperature of the whole series. 4. 4. The local signs of acute intraperitoneal inflammation were more pronounced in those cases with a pathologically acute appendicitis and seem to be the most reliable findings in establishing a diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children. 5. 5. The higher leukocytoses were found in the group of patients with pathologically acute appendicitis but the group had the widest range in white blood count. We believe that varying degrees of hydration of these patients might explain this phenomenon. 6. 6. Five per cent of the patients in our series developed postoperative complications but there were no deaths. 7. 7. A ten year old girl was operated upon for acute appendicitis. She had a normal appendix and a ruptured follicle cyst of the right ovary.