Is acute appendicitis better than an ugly appendicitis? (Yes that’s supposed to be a joke!) Join us on today’s episode to learn about appendicitis in pediatric patients!

This episode was written by pediatricians Tammy Yau and Lidia Park with content support from Julie Fuchs (pediatric surgery). Pediatricians Tammy and Lidia take full responsibility for any errors or misinformation.

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Key Points:

• Symptoms of appendicitis include abdominal pain (classically right lower quadrant with rebound and guarding), anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and fever
• Diagnosis can be clinical but imaging with ultrasound or CT is often used to confirm the diagnosis
• Treatment is typically laparoscopic appendectomy but select patients with uncomplicated appendicitis can be treated with IV antibiotics to avoid surgery. However, these patients need close follow up for recurrence or failure of non-operative management 

Sources

-AAP April 2022: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/5/e2021054693/186782/Nonoperative-Management-of-Uncomplicated 

-StatPearls June 2025: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441864/