Acute gastrointestinal emergencies requiring surgery in children
Although abdominal pain is common in the paediatric age group, problems of misdiagnosis and serious consequences are more particular in an emergency setting. This study examined the aetiologies of acute abdominal emergencies in children. This was a retrospective study of 100 children below the age o...
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Published in | African journal of paediatric surgery Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 61 - 64 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
India
Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd
01.07.2008
Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Although abdominal pain is common in the paediatric age group, problems of misdiagnosis and serious consequences are more particular in an emergency setting. This study examined the aetiologies of acute abdominal emergencies in children.
This was a retrospective study of 100 children below the age of 12 years presenting with acute abdominal emergencies (gastrointestinal) requiring operative interventions. All patients were operated on an emergency basis and the intraoperative findings were correlated with the clinical findings.
Acute abdominal emergencies in the paediatric age group were heterogeneous, with a myriad of aetiological factors. Overall, 73% of patients were greater than 3 years of age. Early neonatal period formed the second most common group (12%). Acute appendicitis was the most common cause except in the infancy period where congenital abnormalities predominated.
The correct diagnosis of acute abdomen in children requires attention to clinical details and a high degree of suspicion. Early surgical intervention in doubtful cases may be necessary to solve diagnostic problems. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0189-6725 0974-5998 |
DOI: | 10.4103/0189-6725.44177 |