Appendicolith: an explicit factor leading to complicated appendicitis in childhood.

Objectives: This study aims to assess the clinical risk of pediatric appendicitis with appendicolith and its guiding significance in therapeutic strategies' selection.
Methods: Children diagnosed with acute appendicitis from June 2011-January 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Patient cohort was divided to appendicolith group (AG) and nonappendicolith group (NAG) based on whether the appendicolith presents or not in the open surgery. Clinical presentations, laboratory parameters, computed tomography findings, and pathological changes were reviewed and compared between two groups.
Results: Among 163 patients, 23 (mean age, 6.1 years old) were defined in AG and 140; mean age, 8.1 years old) in NAG. The patients in AG demonstrated prolonged length of stay (12.4 ± 5.6d vs. 8.7 ± 5.0d, P <0.05), higher body temperature (38.2 ± 0.8 ℃ vs. 37.3 ± 0.8 ℃, P <0.05), higher frequency of diarrhea (17 % vs. 3%, P <0.05), rebound tenderness (100 % vs. 87 %, P <0.05), increased neutrophil percentage (81.4 ± 8.0 % vs. 65.3 ± 22.8 %, P <0.05), C-reactive protein (33.13 ± 10.3 mg/L vs. 23.7 ± 13.7 mg/L, P <0.05), and great risk of perforation (78 % vs. 29 %, P <0.05). Alvarado score (8.3 ± 1.2 vs. 7.0 ± 1.3, P <0.05) and AIR score (10.7 ± 1.6 vs. 7.7 ± 1.9, P <0.05) of AG, were higher than NAG he presence of fever and appendicolith was associated with a high rate of perforated appendicitis.
Conclusions: Pediatric appendicitis with appendicolith has greater clinical risk and tends to causing complicated appendicitis.
Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
(Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.)