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Low-Radiation CT Scans Effective at Spotting Appendicitis: Study
Posted 25 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 25 – Lower levels of radiation during CT scans could be just as effective for diagnosing appendicitis as the standard radiation dose, according to a new study from South Korea. Doctors typically order CT scans of the abdomen for adult and teen patients who have symptoms of appendicitis, such as pain near their belly button, to diagnose their condition before they decide whether to do an appendectomy – surgery to remove the appendix. "As long as CT is used judiciously, it allows doctors to reduce the rate of negative appendectomies – before CT scans, about one in five patients would have their appendix removed and it was normal and their pain was due to something else," explained Dr. Erik Paulson, a radiologist at Duke University Medical Center. There are about 250,000 cases of appendicitis a year in the United States, according to study background information. While ... Read more
Related support groups: Diagnosis and Investigation, Appendicitis
Study Finds Antibiotics Best for Appendicitis
Posted 5 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 5 – For people suffering from uncomplicated appendicitis, a course of antibiotics may be just as good as having the appendix removed, British researchers report. The researchers reviewed studies involving hundreds of patients to determine that treatment with antibiotics could be a safe alternative to surgery, which has been the so-called "gold standard" of care for an inflamed appendix since 1889. "Starting antibiotics when the diagnosis of uncomplicated acute appendicitis is made, with reassessment of the patient, will prevent the need for most appendectomies, reducing patient morbidity," said lead researcher Dr. Dileep Lobo, professor of gastrointestinal surgery at the University of Nottingham and Queen's Medical Centre. Antibiotics also can shorten a patient's hospital stay, he added. Since better diagnostic tools are now available to diagnose appendicitis, it is ... Read more
Related support groups: Appendicitis
Surgery May Beat Antibiotics for Appendicitis, Study Finds
Posted 5 May 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 5 – Although some researchers believe antibiotics can often cure appendicitis, surgery remains the more effective treatment, French investigators suggest. Uncomplicated appendicitis may be treated with antibiotics alone, but complicated appendicitis, where the appendix is perforated, requires surgery, and it is difficult to discern between the two, the researchers say. "With the current technology, it is not possible to distinguish between uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis," said lead researcher Dr. Corinne Vons, of the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris and Universite Paris XI. "Therefore, we cannot treat uncomplicated appendicitis with antibiotics," she said. In the future, with improved imaging, "it will be possible," she said. The report was published in the May 7 edition of The Lancet. For the study, Vons' team followed 239 patients diagnosed with ... Read more
Related support groups: Appendicitis
Kids With Perforated Appendix May Benefit From Early Surgery
Posted 21 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 21 – Early appendectomy is better for children with a perforated appendix than postponing the surgery, a new study finds. The two commonly used surgical options for children with a perforated appendix are early appendectomy (surgical removal of the appendix within 24 hours of hospitalization) and what's known as "interval" appendectomy (surgery six to eight weeks after the initial diagnosis). It had been assumed that postponing surgery would allow contamination in the abdominal cavity to resolve, reducing the likelihood of infection. But this study found that early appendectomy was linked to fewer adverse events, such as surgical site infection, intra-abdominal abscess, and unplanned readmission to hospital. There could also be an added benefit for parents and kids from operating early. "We found that those treated with early appendectomy return to normal activities an ... Read more
Related support groups: Appendectomy, Appendicitis
Delayed Appendicitis Surgery Not Linked to Worse Outcomes
Posted 21 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 21 – A delay of 12 or more hours before removing the appendix of patients with acute appendicitis does not lead to poorer outcomes, a new study shows. U.S. researchers analyzed national data from 32,782 patients with acute appendicitis who underwent an appendectomy between 2005 and 2008. Of those patients, 75.2 percent had surgery within six hours of being admitted to the hospital, 15.1 percent had surgery within six to 12 hours, and 9.8 percent had surgery after more than 12 hours. Operation times were slightly longer for patients who waited more than 12 hours for their surgery: 55 minutes compared with 50 minutes for those who had their surgery within six to 12 hours, and 51 minutes for those who had surgery within six hours. These differences were not clinically meaningful, Dr. Angela M. Ingraham, of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago, and colleagues noted in ... Read more
Related support groups: Appendicitis