Which clinical findings can best rule in/out acute appendicitis in children?

BEEM Bottom Line

Why is this study important?

Abdominal pain is a common complaint amongst pediatric emergency department (ED) patients. Diagnoses range from benign functional pain to a surgical emergency. Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common surgical emergency in this population. This study aimed to reveal which signs, symptoms, and diagnostic tests are most accurate in assessing pediatric patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain and suspected AA.

Which, if any, threats to validity are most likely to have an impact on the results and how?

Thank you for your interest in the BEEM Journal!

To read the rest of this article or to access the entire collection of BEEM Critical Appraisals, please purchase a subscription at the link below.

If you would like a pre-view, click here to view some sample articles

Premium Content Available Through Subscription

BEEM is a knowledge translation project which aims to extract the most recent, EM relevant, and valid evidence from the volumes of available medical research and deliver it to EM practitioners in an easily consumable format to help guide their clinical practice. This valuable distilled information provided by BEEM is available through BEEM's accredited CME courses or through our online journal.

A BEEM Journal Subscription will provide you with unlimited access to our entire collection of Critical Appraisals for 1 year.