Conservative Treatment of Acute Appendicitis in Children

Conservative Treatment of Acute Appendicitis in Children Pilot Trial

This is a feasibility study that will be performed at the Astrid Lindgren Children´s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. It will involve 50 patients, randomized to either conservative, non-operative, treatment with antibiotics OR surgery. The study will test an computerized randomization system, the availability of patients willing to participate in the trial and the trial protocol. The investigators will assess the characteristics of the patients who agree to participate in the study and those who do not. The investigators will explore short term outcome and design suitable long term outcome measures.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children 5-15 years old with a clinical diagnosis of appendicitis that prior to the trial would have been subjected to a surgical intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

• Suspicion of perforated appendicitis on the basis of generalized peritonitis
• An appendiceal mass, diagnosed either by palpation or with radiology