scholarly journals Case-based review: conservative management of appendicitis – are we delaying the inevitable?

2012 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Davies ◽  
A Peckham-Cooper ◽  
A Sverrisdottir

Acute appendicitis is a common surgical presentation for which surgical intervention, an appendicectomy, has remained a largely unchallenged primary treatment modality. Traditionally, it has been felt that the pathophysiological progressive nature of appendicitis ultimately leads to perforation. A number of recent studies, however, suggest that the process of appendiceal inflammation may follow a more remitting nature with evidence indicating spontaneous resolution. It is hypothesised that the treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis may therefore be amenable to conservative management with antibiotics. This article aims to highlight some of the issues and challenges relating to the conservative management of acute appendicitis and further demonstrates potential diagnostic and treatment difficulties involved in managing the more unfamiliar condition of recurrent appendicitis.

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Kumar Maini ◽  
Neeraj Kumar Jain ◽  
Manjari Goel Jain ◽  
Vicky Khobragade

Background: Right lower abdominal pain management in children is a challenging task for the surgeon. Most of the time right lower abdominal pain ends up in acute appendicitis. For long time appendicetomy was the treatment of choice. However surgical intervention has its own disadvantages such as pain, scarring, adhesions, hernia development and venous thrombosis disease. Anxiety and fear of surgery were also two difficulties in obtaining consent for surgery. Parents often request and insist for medical management. Their unwillingness for surgical intervention was the most important reason for medical management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis.Methods: Our prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery, R.K.D.F. Medical College and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India during period of January 2014 to January 2016 and follow up was done till December 2016. Our target group was children under 16 years. A total of 92 children with complaint of right lower abdominal pain attended the hospital for treatment. Routine investigations including ultrasonography of abdomen were performed for all the patients. Out of 92 patients diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made in 74 patients, Surgery was performed in 32 patients, while remaining 42 patients were treated conservatively and the results were analyzed.Results: In this study of 92 patients of pain in right iliac fossa below 16 years, 74 (80.43%) were diagnosed as acute appendicitis. 32 (43.24%) Patients were operated earlier. 42 (56.75%) Patient were treated conservatively. Out of 42 patients, 12 (16.21%) patients were operated within 1 year, 30 (40.54%) Patients didn’t require any surgical intervention during 1 year follow up. In present study, significant role of antibiotic was found in conservative management of acute appendicitis in children. So it can be concluded that conservative management of acute appendicitis in children can be attempted under observation.Conclusions: Antibiotics are both effective and safe as primary treatment for patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Initial antibiotic treatment merits consideration as a primary treatment option for early uncomplicated appendicitis. Appendicectomy should be done but conservative management of acute appendicitis in children can be attempted under observation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 1355-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Kiernan ◽  
Sandeep J. Khandhar ◽  
Daniel L.C. Fortes ◽  
Michael J. Sheridan ◽  
Vivian Hetrick

The authors review their experience with thoracic esophageal perforation at Inova Fairfax Hospital, June 1, 1988, to March 1, 2009. With the exception of 6 patients with occult perforation, all of whom survived with nonoperative therapy, aggressive surgical intervention was the standard approach. Among patients treated aggressively with surgery within 24 hours of perforation, hospital survival was 97 per cent versus 89 per cent for patients treated aggressively surgically after 24 hours. In the absence of phlegmon, implacable obstruction, or delay, primary repair resulted in 100 per cent survival. Where phlegmon or resolute obstruction existed, resection and reconstruction resulted in 96 per cent survival. Even when patients were deemed too ill to undergo surgery, cervical diversion was 100 per cent effective in eradicating continuing leak and achieved 89 per cent survival. Endoesophageal stenting was applied as primary treatment or secondarily such as where leak complicated primary repair. When stenting was used as the initial and primary treatment modality, survival was 88 per cent. Targeted drainage was helpful on occasion as an adjunct to initial therapies. Comfort measures alone were appropriate when clinical circumstances merited no effort at resuscitation. Finally, survivors were asked to self-categorize their ability to swallow; 95 per cent responded good to excellent.


Author(s):  
Vignesh M. ◽  
Rajkumar Chejara ◽  
S. V Arya ◽  
Ankit Bhatia ◽  
Rohit Chaudhary ◽  
...  

Background: Appendectomy has been the treatment for acute appendicitis for years based on the understanding that acute appendicitis always leads to perforation and peritonitis. However, there is growing evidence that a significant proportion of patients can be successfully managed with conservative treatment without developing gangrene or perforation. Conservative treatment avoids discomfort, surgery-related morbidities and minimizes treatment cost.Methods: 60 patients taken up for conservative management were evaluated and followed up for 6 months. Study patients received intravenous antibiotics for 2 days. Repeated clinical and TLC monitoring were done. In patients whose clinical condition did not improve, appendectomy was performed. Follow-up at 10 days, 30 days, 3 months and 6 months were carried out to assess recurrence in conservatively managed patients.Results: In this study, the mean age was 25.65 years with a standard deviation of ±8.96 years. The incidence of uncomplicated appendicitis was 63.3% in males and 36.7% in females. Mean Alvarado score was 7.75 with a standard deviation of ±1.20. Failure of conservative management (conversion to appendectomy) was observed in 11.7% of patients and 4 patients (6.6%) had recurrence within 6 months. The overall treatment efficacy was 81.7%.Conclusions: In many cases, first attack of uncomplicated acute appendicitis can be treated successfully by conservative management. Treatment failure on primary admission as well as short-term recurrence up to six months after conservative treatment is low and acceptable. Incidence of complications like perforation and abscess formation are also statistically low.


Author(s):  
Mubarak Ali Algahtany ◽  
Abdulaziz Khalid Alzailaie ◽  
Mohamed Ahmad Khoudir ◽  
Feras Mubarak Alqahtani ◽  
Tagwa Abdallah Osman ◽  
...  

Cerebral myiasis is extremely rare, and surgical intervention is the primary treatment used. Successful conservative management alone, without surgical removal of the brain infestation has not yet been published. We report the a case of a 24-year-old African homeless man who was found on the street in a state of decreased level of consciousness, with larvae exiting from the left supra and postauricular dirty wounds and from his left ear. The patient was diagnosed with post-traumatic cerebral myiasis of the left temporal lobe and cerebellum. It was treated successfully by debridement of the external wounds and administration of antibiotics, without surgical removal of the brain infestations. For the first time, this case illustrates the novelty and appropriateness of the conservative management of cerebral myiasis. This is also the first report of cerebral myiasis with cerebellar involvement and the second report of post-traumatic cerebral myiasis in literature. Continuous...


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Oxenham ◽  
P Jull ◽  
D Karunaratne ◽  
N Laskar ◽  
R Harshen

Abstract Introduction During the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, appendicitis was managed conservatively to reduce peri-operative mortality; spread of infection; and hospital admissions. We describe the outcomes observed from conservative management during the pandemic. Method This prospective single centre study included all patients with clinically acute appendicitis between 31/3/2020 to 31/5/2020. Length of admission and 30-day complications were recorded. This was compared to retrospective data from 31/3/2019 to 31/4/2019. Results Of the 35 patients included between 31/3/2020 to 31/5/2020: 19 patients were managed conservatively with antibiotics; 8 required operative management after trial of antibiotics; and 8 required surgery on admission. Of the initially conservatively managed patients, three suffered complications (Clavien Dindo >1). Length of admission in conservative patients averaged 1.3 days (0-5 day range). In May 2019, 30 patients admitted with clinical appendicitis were all managed with appendicectomy. The average admission was 2.93 days (1-50 day range) with 4 patient complications. There was no difference (P = 0.22) when comparing the length of admissions within the pandemic and non-pandemic cohorts. Conclusions Our study demonstrates no increase in complications or length of admission during the pandemic. We support the recommendation that conservative management of uncomplicated appendicitis is continued during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183
Author(s):  
Victoria Wang ◽  
Diego Kriger ◽  
Elias Fanous ◽  
Alfred Lee ◽  
Bishoy Zakhary ◽  
...  

Delayed presentation of acute appendicitis is associated with increased complications. We hypothesized that the outcomes of appendectomy in delayed presentations of acute appendicitis (>72 hours of pain) were dependent on radiologic findings rather than late presentation. We reviewed records from 2009 to 2015 and analyzed delayed presentations of acute appendicitis. We divided patients into three groups based on specific CT findings: uncomplicated appendicitis (UA), phlegmon or abscess (PA), and other perforated appendicitis (PERF, signs of perforation without abscess or phlegmon). One hundred thirty-eight patients were included in this study (58 in the UA, 67 in the PA, and 13 in the PERF groups). Overall, 78 (57%) patients underwent early appendectomy (EA) and 60 (43%) underwent initial conservative management. The incidence of adverse events was lower in EA than that in initial conservative management (17% vs 42%, P = 0.005). EA in the UA group was associated with shorter hospitalization (3.2 vs 5.6 days, P < 0.001) and less adverse events (6% vs 29%, P < 0.05). Severe adverse events (two colectomies and one fecal fistula) were observed in the PA group. In conclusion, in these late presentations of appendicitis, complicated appendicitis was common. EA was safe in selected patients, however, and associated with decreased adverse events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0021
Author(s):  
Mauricio Drummond ◽  
Caroline Ayinon ◽  
Albert Lin ◽  
Robin Dunn

Objectives: Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is a painful condition characterized by the presence of calcium deposits within the tendons of the rotator cuff (RTC) that accounts for up to 7% of cases of shoulder pain1. The most common conservative treatments typically include physical therapy (PT), corticosteroid injection (CSI), or ultrasound-guided aspiration (USA). When conservative management fails, the patient may require arthroscopic surgery to remove the calcium with concomitant rotator cuff repair. The purpose of this study was to characterize the failure rates, defined as the need for surgery, of each of these three methods of conservative treatment, as well as to compare post-operative improvement in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) – including subjective shoulder values (SSV) and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores – based on the type of pre-operative conservative intervention provided. A secondary aim was to compare post-operative range of motion (ROM) outcomes between groups that failed conservative management. We hypothesized that all preoperative conservative treatments would have equivalent success rates, PROs, and ROM. Bosworth B. Calcium deposits in the shoulder and subacromial bursitis: a survey of 12122 shoulders. JAMA. 1941;116(22):2477-2489. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients who were diagnosed with calcific tendinitis at our institution treated among 3 fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons between 2009 and 2019 was performed. VAS, SSV, and ROM in forward flexion (FF) and external rotation (ER) was abstracted from the medical records. Scores were recorded at the initial presentation as well as final post-operative follow-up visit for those who underwent surgery. The conservative treatment method utilized by each patient was recorded and included PT, CSI, or USA. Failure of conservative management was defined as eventual progression to surgical intervention. Statistical analysis included chi-square, independent t test and ANOVA. Descriptive statistics were used to report data. A p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: 239 patients diagnosed with calcific tendinitis were identified in the study period with mean age of 54 years and follow up of at least 6 months. In all, 206 (86.2%) patients underwent a method of conservative treatment. Of these patients, 71/239 (29.7%) underwent PT, 67/239 (28%) attempted CSI, and 68/239 (28.5%) underwent USA. The overall failure rate across all treatment groups was 29.1%, with injections yielding the highest success rate of 54/67 (80.6%). Physical therapy saw the highest failure rate, with 26/71 (36.7%) proceeding to surgical intervention. Patients undergoing physical therapy were statistically more likely to require surgery compared to those undergoing corticosteroid injection (RR 1.88, p= 0.024). Of all 93 patients who underwent surgery, VAS, SSV, ROM improved significantly in all groups. On average, VAS decreased by 4.02 points (6.3 to 2.3), SSV increased by 33 points (51 to 84), FF improved by 13.8º, and ER improved 8.4º between the pre- and post-operative visits (p<0.05). The 33 patients who did not attempt a conservative pre-operative treatment demonstrated the largest post-operative improvement in VAS (-6.00), which was significantly greater than those who previously attempted PT (-3.33, p<0.05). There was a trend towards greater improvement in SSV in the pre-operative PT group (45 to 81) compared to others, but this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.47). Range of motion was not significantly affected by the method of pre-operative conservative intervention. Conclusions: Conservative treatment in the form of physical therapy, corticosteroid injection, and ultrasound-guided aspiration is largely successful in managing calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. Of these, PT demonstrated the highest rate of failure in terms of requiring surgical management. PRO improvement varied among the conservative modalities used, however patients who did not attempt conservative management experienced the greatest improvements following surgery. If surgery is necessary following failed conservative treatment, excellent outcomes can be expected with significant improvements in ROM and PROs. This information should be considered by the surgeon when deciding whether to recommend conservative treatment for the management of calcific tendinitis, as well as which specific method to employ.


2000 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Jamieson ◽  
C.G. Semple

We report a case of Grave's disease in pregnancy complicated by intolerance of standard antithyroid drug therapy. We describe the success of prolonged use of organic iodine as a primary treatment prior to surgical intervention.


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