Outcomes after appendectomy in children with acute appendicitis treated at a tertiary paediatric centre: results from a retrospective cohort study.
Langenbecks Arch Surg
; 406(1): 163-169, 2021 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32860108
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
In general, an appendectomy is presumed to have a limited burden of disease. However, in current literature, reported complication rates vary. This study aims to provide additional insights in the incidence of post-appendectomy complications in children with acute appendicitis.METHODS:
This retrospective cohort study included children (0-17 years old) that underwent appendectomy at our tertiary referral centre for suspected acute appendicitis (January 2011-December 2018). Children referred to our centre, and those that underwent non-operative treatment were excluded. Post-appendectomy complications were recorded from electronic medical charts using predefined definitions and classified as severe (Clavien-Dindo III-IV) or less severe (Clavien-Dindo I-II).RESULTS:
A total of 131 children were included. Simple and complex appendicitis was diagnosed in 66 (50%) and 60 (46%) children, respectively. A non-inflamed appendix was seen in five (4%) children. One or more complications were identified in 33 (25%) patients. Eight (12%) children with simple appendicitis developed a complication, three of these were severe. In children with complex appendicitis, 23 (38%) children developed a complication, 14 of these were severe.CONCLUSION:
This study shows a high rate of complications compared with current literature, both in children with simple and complex appendicitis. This is probably the result of our definition of complications and being a tertiary referral centre receiving more severe appendicitis cases. However, these results still show that appendectomy is not always a routine procedure with only few complications. Substantiating the need to keep optimizing treatment for children with appendicitis.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Appendicitis
/
Appendix
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Newborn
Language:
En
Journal:
Langenbecks Arch Surg
Year:
2021
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Netherlands