REVIEW OF ACUTE ABDOMEN IN PEDIATRICS AGE GROUP

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground:- Acute Abdominal pain in children presents a diagnostic dilemma, although many causes of acute Abdominal pain are benign, some require rapid diagnosis and treatment to minimize morbidity.Numerous disorders can cause abdominal pain. The most common medical cause is gastro-enteritis, and the most common surgical cause is appendicitis. This study evaluates the different cause of the acute abdomen in the pediatric age group in our hospital, including medical and surgical causes.Methods: - This is a prospective study over a period of six months (from March 15th to September 15th of 2007), a total of 200 kids were included in this study that presented to our hospital with the acute abdomen.Those kids divided into four groups depending on their age,as following:(1.those who are less than one year,2.from one to five years,3.from five to ten years,4.from ten to fifteen years old) and after careful clinical evaluation supplemented by laboratory and radiological investigations, those kids divided into (2) entities (medical and surgical).The result: - 200 kids suffering from acute abdominal pain were included in this study, 124 male and 76 female.From the total, 80 kids were diagnosed as medical where 120 kids undergone a surgical operation, 82 kids (44 male and 38 female) undergone appendicectomy. Seven kids from them had generalized peritonitis due to perforated appendices, 36 kids with intestinal obstruction (23 kids below one year and 13 above one year, the remaining two kids with torsion of an undescended testis).Conclusion: - Appendicitis is the most common surgical cause of the acute abdomen in the children and next common surgical cause is intestinal obstruction.Any child with an acute abdomen should be examined carefully and repeated examination done by the same surgeon.