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Diagnosing appendicitis: What works, what does not and where to go from here?
Author(s) -
Craig Simon,
Dalton Sarah
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/jpc.12998
Subject(s) - medicine , appendicitis , acute appendicitis , emergency department , general surgery , emergency surgery , intensive care medicine , diagnostic accuracy , emergency physician , radiology , surgery , psychiatry
Although acute appendicitis is the most common reason for emergency abdominal surgery in children, diagnosis is far from straightforward. Delays in diagnosis can result in significant complications, whereas over‐diagnosis can result in costly inter‐hospital transfers and unnecessary surgery. This article aims to describe current evidence‐based assessment of children with possible appendicitis presenting to the emergency department. We provide an overview of the literature relating to the various available diagnostic approaches, including the application of history, examination, pathology tests, imaging, and clinical decision rules.