Traditional management of appendicitis with appendectomy is regarded as efficient and safe, but it is not free from associated morbidity and mortality. Results from a meta-analysis published in the BMJ suggest that initial nonsurgical treatment with antibiotics merits consideration in patients with early uncomplicated appendicitis.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Antibiotic treatment for appendicitis in Norway and Sweden: a nationwide survey on treatment practices
BMC Surgery Open Access 15 June 2022
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Andersson, M. N. & Andersson, R. E. Causes of short-term mortality after appendectomy: a population-based case–controlled study. Ann. Surg. 254, 103–107 (2011).
Varadhan, K. K., Neal, K. R. & Lobo, D. N. Safety and efficacy of antibiotics compared with appendicectomy for treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 344, e2156 (2012).
Flum, D. R., Morris, A., Koepsell, T. & Dellinger, E. P. Has misdiagnosis of appendicitis decreased over time? A population-based analysis. JAMA 286, 1748–1753 (2001).
Power, D. The prognosis and modern treatment of appendicitis. Br. Med. J. 2, 1467–1470 (1989).
McKenna, H. The reduction of the increasing mortality and morbidity in acute appendicitis. Ann. Surg. 104, 617–627 (1936).
Andersson, R., Hugander, A., Thulin, A., Nyström, P. O. & Olaison, G. Indications for operation in suspected appendicitis and incidence of perforation. BMJ 308, 107–110 (1994).
Andersson, R. E. The natural history and traditional management of appendicitis revisited: spontaneous resolution and predominance of prehospital perforations imply that a correct diagnosis is more important than an early diagnosis. World J. Surg. 31, 86–92 (2007).
Decadt, B. et al. Randomized clinical trial of early laparoscopy in the management of acute non-specific abdominal pain. Br. J. Surg. 86, 1383–1386 (1999).
Morino, M., Pellegrino, L., Castagna, E., Farinella, E. & Mao, P. Acute nonspecific abdominal pain: A randomized, controlled trial comparing early laparoscopy versus clinical observation. Ann. Surg. 244, 881–886 (2006).
Andersson, R. E. & Petzold, M. G. Non-surgical treatment of appendiceal abscess or phlegmon. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann. Surg. 246, 741–748 (2007).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Andersson, R. Antibiotics or appendectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 9, 370–371 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.113
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.113
