[Appendicitis in children under 3].

Abstract

There are many differences between acute appendicitis in the older child and the infants. An understanding of the under three years of age child's response to intra-abdominal infection in contrast to that of the older child and an appreciation for the supportive treatment of the child are vitally important in further lowering the morbidity of young children with acute appendicitis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors contributing to the high perforation rate seen in this age group. A retrospective analysis was done in 88 patients under the age of three who underwent appendectomy. These patients ranged from 4 and 35 months in age. There were 51 (77.4%) male patients. The main complaints were fever, pain and vomiting. Duration of symptoms was more than 24 hours in 80%. Abdominal radiographs showed signs of small bowel obstruction. Peritonitis was found in the majority of the cases (90%). overall morbidity was 31.8% and mortality 1.1%. These data suggest that duration of symptoms is directly proportional to complications rate.