| Problem: Acute appendicitis can occur in the pediatric population often and can be difficult to diagnose due to atypical presentations. Laparoscopic appendectomy has been the established standard of care for acute appendicitis but there is a newly emerging practice of interval appendectomy. Interval appendectomy involves administering IV antibiotics to the patient and then a waiting period before completing the appendectomy. The length of time before the appendectomy depends on the patient's status or any complications.;Methods: For the methods of the literature review, the sources utilized were found on the Weill Cornell Medical Library online. The database used was PubMed. The search terms used included "appendicitis" AND "pediatric population", "appendectomy" AND "pediatric population" and "interval appendectomy" AND "children". The inclusion criteria were research articles written in the past 5 years, written in English, published in a peer-reviewed journal and available online in the PubMed database using free access provided by the Weill Cornell Medical Library. The limits for exclusion criteria included non-peer-reviewed journals, articles published prior to 2010 and articles not originally written or translated into English.;Results: There are several studies with significant statistical evidence illuminating the importance of interval appendectomy as a treatment option in cases of acute appendicitis in the patient population. Incorporating intravenous antibiotics and then interval appendectomy in the treatment of acute appendicitis in the pediatric population is a viable treatment option.;Conclusion: There is a significant clinical importance to establish interval appendectomy as a viable treatment of acute appendicitis in the pediatric population. Interval appendectomy allows patients to be stable surgical candidates. Interval appendectomy prevents possible surgical complications of emergent appendectomy with more established stability. |
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