RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Non-operative management of appendicitis in children
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood
JO Arch Dis Child
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP archdischild-2017-313267
DO 10.1136/archdischild-2017-313267
A1 Nigel J Hall
A1 Simon Eaton
YR 2017
UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2017/10/21/archdischild-2017-313267.abstract
AB While appendicectomy has been considered the mainstay of treatment for children with acute appendicitis for many decades, there has been a great deal of recent interest in non-operative treatment (NOT) with antibiotics alone. Initial results suggest that many children with appendicitis can indeed be safely treated with NOT and can be spared the surgeon’s knife. Many as yet unanswered questions remain, however, before NOT can be considered a realistic and reliable alternative to surgery. This review summaries current knowledge and understanding of the role of NOT in children with appendicitis and outlines and discusses the outstanding knowledge gaps.