©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Pediatr. May 8, 2015; 4(2): 19-24
Published online May 8, 2015. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v4.i2.19
Published online May 8, 2015. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v4.i2.19
Appendicitis in children less than five years old: A challenge for the general practitioner
Pierluigi Marzuillo, Department of Women and Children and General and Specialized Surgery, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, 80138 Naples, Italy
Claudio Germani, Egidio Barbi, Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Baruch S Krauss, Boston Childrens Hospital, Boston, MA 02130, United States
Author contributions: Marzuillo P wrote the manuscript; Germani C supervised the manuscript drafting; Krauss BS critically revised and contributed to conceptually improve the manuscript; Barbi E conceived the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest: Nothing to declare.
Correspondence to: Pierluigi Marzuillo, MD, Department of Women and Children and General and Specialized Surgery, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Via L. De Crecchio 2, 80138 Naples, Italy. pierluigi.marzuillo@gmail.com
Telephone: +39-389-4873353 Fax: +39-040-3785727
Received: November 2, 2014
Peer-review started: November 4, 2014
First decision: November 27, 2014
Revised: February 12, 2015
Accepted: March 5, 2015
Article in press: March 9, 2015
Published online: May 8, 2015
Processing time: 196 Days and 16.1 Hours
Peer-review started: November 4, 2014
First decision: November 27, 2014
Revised: February 12, 2015
Accepted: March 5, 2015
Article in press: March 9, 2015
Published online: May 8, 2015
Processing time: 196 Days and 16.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Acute appendicitis in the first years of life is an uncommon event but with a high incidence of early perforation the younger the patient. We highlight the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical signs, and laboratory clues of appendicitis in young children. The challenge for the practitioner is to perform a timely diagnosis of acute appendicitis in first years of life before complications occur.