ABSTRACT
Background: Primary peritonitis is rare in children. It raise problems of aetiology diagnosis, and therapy. The aim of this study is to review the particularities of this pathology by emphasizing these difficulties of the treatment
Methods: Its a retrospective study of 14 cases of primary peritonitis treated in the infant surgery unit of Monastir hospital in the period between January 1984 and December 2003.The mean age was 2 years ;the sex ratio was 1/6.The beginning of the clinical symptoms were usually acute
Results: The diagnosis was done by surgical exploration in 13 cases/14; in only one case the diagnosis was highly suspected because of the results of the peritoneal drainage. The post operative course was uneventful for 11 patients; two died probably because of liver failure and presented a residual peritonitis
Conclusion: primary peritonitis of the child is rare. until now, it is still a controversial pathology. Its treatment can be only medical but the surgical treatment which can be laparoscopic must be indicated if there is a doubt