Community hospitals are more than 4 times more likely than pediatric institutions to use radiation-exposing computed tomography (CT) scans and 80% less likely to use ultrasound for pre-appendectomy ...

Have you ever treated a child with abdominal pain that you suspected might be caused by appendicitis? It’s tempting to go straight to a CT scan, but such scans expose children to ionizing radiation, ...

Five years ago, the negative appendectomy rate at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston was 20%, but since the advent of CT screening, it has dropped to 3%, say MGH researchers. The negative ...

From our institutional surgical database, we identified retrospectively 778 patients who underwent appendectomy between January 1 and December 31 of the years 1995 and 1998. Twelve (2%) of these ...

Appendicitis is inflammation of the vermiform appendix (or just the appendix, for short), a little structure within the lower gastrointestinal tract. In appendicitis, the appendix swells, causing a ...

Removing a healthy appendix may be more harmful than many have thought, requiring longer hospitals stays and an increased rate of side effects, according to a new University of Washington study ...

Bellyaches are among the most common complaints of childhood, and among the most worrisome for parents. The causes range from simple stomach upset to urgent conditions such as appendicitis.