PubMed · 6845849
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J Hager, G Menardi, I Gassner, G Egender. 1983-02-28. [Urachus abnormalities in children].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6845849/
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In the large majority of cases, acute appendicitis can be diagnosed on the basis of the medical history and the patient's symptoms. Urine should be drawn from every patient for urinstix and bacteriological testing, as well as blood for a blood count, electrolytes and coagulation parameters. A US should be performed, in particular to exclude possible other diagnoses. Women should be examined by a gynecologist. Once the diagnosis has been established, the patient must be sent for surgery without delay. Should there be reason for doubt, further diagnostic measures (in particular CT) should be carried out as permitted by the urgency of the case. In life-threatening situations, laparoscopy should be done immediately, and preparations made for laparotomy should this be necessary. If the symptoms are such that a wait-and-see attitude is justified, continued observation and follow-up examinations are recommended. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis can be difficult, and every patient who rouses relevant suspicion, should be seen by a surgeon.
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdomen. Prospective studies have shown the overall accuracy of the clinical diagnosis to be not more than 70-78% in suspected appendicitis, with a correspondingly high rate of 20-25% unnecessary laparotomies. High-resolution ultrasonography (US) is a readily available, radiation-free noninvasive diagnostic modality that enables visualization of the inflamed appendix and a variety of relevant diseases in the differential diagnostic work-up. Prospective studies have shown that the overall accuracy of US in acute appendicitis ranges between 86 and 87% (sensitivity 75-92%, specificity 92-100%), with positive and negative predictive values of 89-96%, respectively. In experienced hands, US has significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy in suspected appendicitis, while halving the negative laparotomy rate to 8-15%. Since, however, a low percentage of false-negative US explorations due, for example, to accumulation of bowel gas or obesity, final therapeutic decisions be based on a careful consideration of US findings together with history, symptoms and clinical findings.
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