Appendicitis in Children – Know About , Causes , Symptoms , Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery
WHO IS A PEDIATRIC SURGEON?WHY WE NEED PEDIATRIC SURGEON TO TREAT OUR CHILDREN
March 23, 2021
What is appendicitis?
What is appendicitis?
The appendix is a smalltube-like structurepresent near where the large and small intestines meet at the right lower side of the abdomen. Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendicitis in childrens causing pain in the lower right abdomen. When the inflammation gets worse, appendicitis pain typically increases and sooner or later becomes severe.
What happens if appendicitis isn’t treated?
If an appendicitis is left untreated, it can cause serious complications. Ignorance can cause aburst or rupture in the appendix. The rupture spreads infection in the abdomenand could be life-threatening. In such case, an immediate surgery to remove the appendix is needed.
It can also cause pus formation in the abdomen when the appendix bursts. This pus has to be drained and antibiotics are needed to clear the infection and the appendix. Is removed through surgery.
What causesAppendicitis in children?
Appendicitis is caused due to infection. This could be due to some blockage inside of the appendix. There could be various reasons for blockages such as because of stool or parasites or a bend or twist in the appendix itself.
This causes the appendix to become sore and inflamed or swollen. As the swelling and soreness get worse, the blood supply to the appendix is affected due to which the appendix may burst or rupture. This causes the stool, mucus, and other substances leak through and get inside the belly or abdomen which can cause a serious infection called peritonitis.
What are the Symptoms of Appendicitis in children?
The symptoms of appendicitis may vary in children. For infants the symptoms may be hard to recognize as they may not be able to communicate the exact issues causing them discomfort. The common symptoms include:
- Pain in abdomen
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Fever and chills
- Constipation
- Swollen belly
- Changes in behavior
- Frequent and painful urination
How is appendicitis in children diagnosed?
The diagnosis will start with child’s health history and a physical exam. The below tests then may follow:
- Abdominal ultrasound to get images of blood vessels, tissues, and organs in the abdomen.
- CT scan to get detailed images of the organs.
- Blood tests for checking infection and inflammation
- Urine test to reveal bladder or kidney infection
Since, many other conditions may have similar symptoms as of appendicitis, apediatric surgeoncan help analyze the reports to confirm the condition.
Since appendicitis is considered an emergency condition, ifyou think that your child may have appendicitis, please have them evaluated at the nearest health center by a pediatric surgeonnearby.
How is appendicitis in children treated?
Treatment of appendicitis in childrendepends on the symptoms, age, and general health. The most common treatment is the surgery to remove the appendixwhich is also called as appendectomy performedbya Pediatricsurgeonas it may cause medical emergency as it is likely that the appendix will burst and cause a serious, deadly infection. The surgery is performed by a pediatric surgeon.
In this case, the infection is first drained and the appendix is removed later. This delayed surgery is called an interval appendectomy.
The appendicitis surgery can be done in two ways:
An Open Appendicitis Surgery or traditional surgery.
In an open surgery, an incision is made in the lower right-hand side of the belly and the appendix is removed. In case of a rupture, a small tube or shunt may be placed to drain out the pus and other fluids from the belly for few days and it will be taken out in a few days after the infection is gone.
A Laparoscopic Appendicitis Surgery
A laparoscopicappendicitis surgery involves a few small incisions. Through these tiny incisions a tube with a camera called a laparoscope along with surgical tools is inserted. to look inside the belly. Using the camera, the surgeon guides the tools to remove the appendix. The surgical tools are placed through one or more small incisions. Though, this method is not usually done if the appendix has already burst.
After the surgery, the child will have to stay in the hospital for some days and will need to take antibiotics by mouth for a certain period of time after they go home.
How soon after treatment will my child feel better?
The appendicitis surgery recovery will depend upon whether the appendix was ruptured or not. If a drain is placed, the child may not take a bath or go swimming until the drain is removed.After the appendectomysurgery the child must follow some restrictions regarding physical activities like heavy lifting or playing contact sports for a few weeks after surgery.
Antibiotic and pain medication will be prescribed and will have to be taken regularly for recovery. The typical time taken to resume to basic normal activity is one week.
When to call the doctor appendectomy surgery?
After the discharge post appendectomysurgery, call the doctor if you see any of the following symptoms:
- High fever
- Vomiting
- Drainage from incision
- Redness or swelling of the incision
- Increasing or continuous abdominal pain
- Abdominal swelling
- Enlarged) abdomen
How long does it take for a child to recover from an appendectomy?
Recovery after surgery depends on the spread of infection before the operation. If there is no pus formation in the abdomen then child is discharged in couple of days and can resume daily activity soon.
How do you take care of a child after an appendectomy?
After the appendix surgery, the child may need to stay in the hospital for a couple of days where the child may be given antibiotics for a week or more through IV.
Some Common Question Before Kids Appendectomy Surgery
The appendicitis condition needs urgent treatment. If the kid is diagnosed with it, then usually, the appendix must be removed.
Appendectomy is a common procedure, and most kids recover quickly and with few problems.
Appendectomy is considered as a major surgery and can be done in two ways. Through an open incision or through laparoscopy involving few tiny incisions. Although, both types of surgery may have low risk of complications, alaparoscopic appendectomy has a shorter hospital stay, and shorter recovery time.
The appendix surgeryis performed under general anesthesia and the kids should not feel any pain during the procedure. However, the surgical site may cause pain as it heals which is far less as compared to the appendix pain itself.
No specific restrictions and diet after the surgery.
If you have any more questions, contact our specialist Pediatric Surgeon andAppendectomy surgeon in Thane. Visit our website https://drdevendrataide.com/
To know regarding appendectomy surgeryin thaneor appendicitis surgery costin thane contact us on the website.
