INTRODUCTION A family history of appendicitis has been reported to increase the likelihood of the diagnosis in children and in a retrospective study of adults. We compare positive family history with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in a prospective sample of adults. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of 428 patients. We compared patients with su...

OBJECTIVE To prospectively validate the Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS), developed on a cohort of children with abdominal pain suggestive of appendicitis, in unselected children with abdominal pain who present to the emergency department. STUDY DESIGN Over a 19-month period, we prospectively recruited children 1 to 17 years old who came to our tertiary pediatric emergency department, with ...

BACKGROUND The early diagnosis of acute abdomen is of great importance. To date, several inflammatory markers have been used for the diagnosis of acute abdominal conditions, including acute appendicitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of D-dimer, Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measurements in the acute appendicitis. METHODS This prospective stud...

BACKGROUND Appendicitis is one of the most frequent acute surgical conditions of the abdomen, and appendectomy is one of the most commonly performed operations in the world. However, epidemiological data on appendicitis have not been reported for South Korean or East Asian populations. METHODS We analyzed the epidemiological features and lifetime risk of appendicitis and appendectomy in South...

BACKGROUND Accurately diagnosing appendicitis can be difficult. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the ability of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict acute appendicitis pre-operatively and to differentiate between simple and complicated appendicitis. METHODS A database of 1067 patients who underwent surgery was evaluated. Based on postoperative histopathological examin...

BACKGROUND Environmental determinants of appendicitis are poorly understood. Past work suggests that air pollution may increase the risk of appendicitis. OBJECTIVES We investigated whether ambient ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations were associated with appendicitis and whether these associations varied between perforated and nonperforated appendicitis. METHODS We based this time-stratif...

Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of the acute abdomen often requiring emergent surgery. Delayed diagnosis leads to the progression of uncomplicated appendicitis to complicated (gangrenous, perforated) appendicitis, often changing clinical management. Computed tomography and ultrasound are imaging modalities of choice to preoperatively diagnose appendicitis. Recent concerns of radia...

EDITORIAL COMMENT During a study of the epidemiology of appendicitis it was found that acute appendicitis is equally common in men and in women. Appendicectomy for non-acute appendicitis is commoner in women, and it is suggested that these patients are suffering from pain originating in the genital organs. Acute appendicitis in Wales is equally common amongst the Welsh and non-Welsh population....

PURPOSE Early detection of appendicitis has increased due to development of computed tomography and ultrasonography, yet we are frequently meeting complicated appendicitis, including perforation, abscess and a gangrenous appendicitis due to delayed diagnosis. For that reason, we want to evaluate predictive factors for the complicated appendicitis. METHODS A total of 128 patients with appendic...