Paediatric Appendicitis: Three-year Experience in a Secondary Care Hospital

Objective To analyze cases of acute appendicitis in the pediatric population and find the effectiveness of ultrasonography and laparoscopic appendectomy in patients attending the referral hospital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Materials and Methods A three-year retrospective analysis of pediatric appendicitis cases who underwent emergency appendectomy in GB Pant Hospital Port Blair between June 2014 and June 2017. Results During the three-year study period, 59 children underwent emergency appendectomy. They were 32 (54%) boys and 27 (46%) girls. The cases of uncomplicated appendicitis were 43 (73%) and that of complicated appendicitis were 16 (27%). The most common symptom was pain in the abdomen, which was present in 54 (91.5%) of cases. Lower abdomen tenderness was the most common finding on physical examination, which was found in 55 (93.2%) of the cases. Ultrasound was diagnostic in 54 (91.5%) of the cases. Laparoscopic Appendectomy was done in 55 (93.2%) of the cases.