Baseline characteristics of participants at randomisation
| Appendicectomy (n=28) | Non-operative treatment (n=29) | Total (n=57) | |
| Age | 10 years 7 months (6 years 4 months to 13 years 6 months) | 10 years 3 months (5 years 0 months to 15 years 11 months) | 10 years 5 months (5 years 0 months to 15 years 11 months) |
| Sex M:F (n) | 18:10 | 18:10* | 36:20* |
| Duration of symptoms (hours)† | 32 (12–63) | 34 (12–79) | 33 (12–79) |
| US during diagnostic workup‡ (n (%)) | 8 (29%) | 8 (28%)* | 16 (28%) |
| Alvarado score†,§ | 5 (3–8) | 5 (3–8) | 5 (3–8) |
Data are median (range) unless otherwise specified.
*Data for one participant who withdrew after randomisation not available.
†Note that there were some missing data for duration of symptoms and Alvarado score; for duration of symptoms, data are missing for 10 in appendicectomy arm and 8 (including one withdrawal) in non-operative treatment arm; for Alvarado score, data are missing for five (including one withdrawal) in non-operative treatment arm.
‡No child had a CT scan as part of diagnostic workup.
§The Alvarado score22 is a tool used to assess the likelihood of appendicitis in children presenting with abdominal pain. It was calculated for participants to provide a quantitative measure of severity of illness but was not used to determine eligibility for the trial or as a minimisation criteria.
US, ultrasound.