UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Pediatrics

Title: Misdiagnosis of Appendicitis in the Young Child

Keywords: Appendicitis, Pediatrics (PubMed Search)

Posted: 3/13/2009 by Don Van Wie, DO (Updated: 4/26/2024)
Click here to contact Don Van Wie, DO

For children under 5 years of age the rate of missing an appendicitis remains very high. (57%-67%)
The rate of misdiagnosis increases as the age decreases.
In cases of missed appendicitis the most common incorrect diagnosis is gastroenteritis.
Think twice before you label vomiting alone, or diarrhea alone as gastroenteritis.
If an appendicitis is missed there is an increased risk of perforation, abscess formation, and higher morbidity.

Acute Appendicitis in Childhood: Diagnosis and Treatment in the new Millennium. PEM Practice. December 2008