RESUMO
AIM: The main goal of our study was to assess a 7 days long course of antibiotics for acute uncomplicated appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2014 to November 2015, all patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis have been considered to be treated by only antibiotics. Inclusion criteria included clinical (tenderness), biological (C-reactive protein [CRP] < 50), and radiological features (diameter > 6 mm). All patients were treated with intravenous amoxicillin and clavulanic acid (100 mg/kg/day) for 2 days (six doses). At the end of the treatment, clinical and paraclinical examinations included blood samples at day 7 and ultrasound (US) scan at 3 months. RESULTS: A total of 166 patients were treated and followed up prospectively during the study period. Mean age at diagnosis was 10.8 ± 0.6 years. All children, but four were discharged with a clinical improvement after 48 hours and six intravenous antibiotics injection according to our protocol. Four children required surgery during the initial hospitalization period.Initial ultrasound scan showed a mean diameter of 7.85 ± 1.6 mm, with inflamed fat in 124 patients (74.7%). At Day 7, the diameter was 5.2 ± 1.6 mm (p < 0.0001).During a median follow-up of 18.8 months (3.5-18), 22 patients (13.25%) had to be managed for a novel episode of acute appendicitis after a median period of 138 days (13-270). None had to be managed for a complicated appendicitis. CONCLUSION: Non-operative treatment (NOT) is a safe alternative for the management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis in children. Further study should be conducted to determine relapse risk factors.
