1 Jan 2015Review
The role of laparoscopy in recurrent right lower quadrant pain in children
Paolo Caiazzo 1Maria Esposito 2Giovanni Vecchio 1Alfonso Papparella 2Pio Tramutoli 1Pio Parmeggiani 2Silvia Cavaiuolo 2
Affiliations
Article Info
1 UOC di Chirurgia d’Urgenza, AOR “S. Carlo”, Potenza, Italy
2 UOC di Chirurgia Pediatrica, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Italy
Ann. Ital. Chir., 2015, 86(1), 42-45;
Published: 1 Jan 2015
Copyright © 2015 Annali Italiani di Chirurgia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
According to scientific literature, laparoscopy as aid in diagnosis and therapy for chronic pain in the right iliac quadrant shows a undeniable advantage thanks to its mini-invasiveness, the possibility of a methodical and thorough exploration of the entire abdominal cavity in those cases of recurrent pain, emotionally and socially debilitating, that do not find an answer in the usual etiological diagnostic clinical-instrumental. In those cases in which any significant organic pathology that justifies the recurring pain in the right iliac fossa is found during laparoscopic exploration, it has been seen that it is useful to perform appendectomy anyway, that leads to the disappearance of symptoms, which are probably due to inflammatory recurrent catarrhal phenomena of appendix in such patients, as it is demonstrated by the adhesions found at cecum-appendicular level. From January 2011 to December 2013, 24 children with chronic recurrent right lower quadrant pain were subjected to diagnostic laparoscopy. Ages varied from 11 to 18 years (mean, 14 years). There were 6 males and 18 females. Laparoscopic findings included macroscopical signs of acute appendicitis in 15 patients; cecal adhesions in 20 patients, kink of the appendix in 3. The abdominal pain completely resolved in all the patients following laparoscopy.
Keywords
- Appendectomy
- Laparoscopy
- Right lower pain