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New study shows that antibiotics, not surgery, can treat appendicitis in children
Posted on: 24/Feb/2017 5:17:39 PM
A new study has shown that antibiotics may be an effective treatment for acute non-complicated appendicitis in children, instead of surgery. The systematic review of existing literature is published in Pediatrics. Appendicitis is currently treated through an operation to remove the appendix, known as an appendicectomy, and it is the most common cause of emergency surgery in children. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK.
Speaking about the study, the researchers said, Acute appendicitis is one of the most common general surgical emergencies worldwide and surgery has long been the gold standard of treatment. But it is invasive and costly, not to mention extremely daunting for the child concerned and their family. Our review shows that antibiotics could be an alternative treatment method for children. When we compared the adult literature to the data in our review it suggested that antibiotic treatment of acute appendicitis is at least as effective in children as in adults. This now needs to be explored more widely. In our initial trial, we will see how many patients and families are willing to join the study and will look at how well children in the study recover. This will give us an indication of how many children we may be able to recruit into a future larger trial and how the outcomes of non-operative treatment compare with an operation.
