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Background:Appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies. Early diagnosis of appendicitis is important in children because any delay in treatment substantially leads to complicated appendicitis. In this study, we aimed to test the diagnostic value of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) level in children with acute appendicitis and to investigate whether there is a relationship between the progression of the disease and PTX3 level.Methods:This prospective study included 70 children. They were divided into three groups as follows: group 1 (appendicitis; n=37), group 2 (abdominal pain; n=25), group 3 (control; n=8). Demographic data, medical history, the time from the onset of symptoms to blood sampling, operative and pathological findings of the patients were noted, and white blood cell (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) and PTX3 values were measured.Results:The mean WBC, CRP and PTX3 values were found to be significantly increased in the appendicitis group (pConclusion:This study showed that PTX3 is a valuable inflammatory biomarker in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and also documented that PTX3 is useful for predicting the progression of the disease.

Background This study aimed to investigate whether there are some differences between pediatric and adult patients with appendicitis. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 279 pediatric and 275 adult patients with respect to demographics, past medical history, duration of symptoms, laboratory and radiological findings, operation notes, pathological reports, length of hospital stay and post-operative outcomes. Results No significant differences were found with respect to gender, rates of perforation and negative appendectomy, laboratory findings, and overall outcomes between children and adults. However, our study suggests that the diagnosis is more difficult in children, the most preferred radiologic diagnostic methods are abdominal ultrasound and plain X-ray in children vs. computed tomography in adults, air-fluid levels and right-sided scoliosis are more commonly detected on X-ray in children, appendiceal perforation is more common at both extreme of ages, the appendix is perforated earlier and length of hospital stay is longer in children, and misdiagnosis at first admission in children and advanced age in adults were the risk factors associated with the complications. Conclusion The present study found some important differences between childhood and adulthood appendicitis. If these differences are considered when evaluating the patients, more desired outcomes can be achieved for both clinicians and patients.