Use of gene expression profiling to identify candidate genes for pretherapeutic patient classification in acute appendicitis.

Background: Phlegmonous and gangrenous appendicitis represent independent pathophysiological entities with different clinical courses ranging from spontaneous resolution to septic disease. However, reliable predictive methods for these clinical phenotypes have not yet been established. In an attempt to provide pathophysiological insights into the matter, a genomewide gene expression analysis was undertaken in patients with acute appendicitis.

Diagnosis and classification of pediatric acute appendicitis by artificial intelligence methods: An investigator-independent approach.

Acute appendicitis is one of the major causes for emergency surgery in childhood and adolescence. Appendectomy is still the therapy of choice, but conservative strategies are increasingly being studied for uncomplicated inflammation. Diagnosis of acute appendicitis remains challenging, especially due to the frequently unspecific clinical picture.

Sonographic differentiation of complicated from uncomplicated appendicitis.

Objective: This study aims to differentiate acute uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis, by investigating the correlation between sonographic findings and histological results in different types of paediatric appendicitis.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 1017 paediatric patients (age < 18 years) who underwent ultrasound by paediatric radiologists before appendicectomy at our institution between 2006 and 2016. Histologically, uncomplicated appendicitis was primarily associated with transmural infiltration of neutrophil granulocytes, while complicated appendicitis was characterised by transmural myonecrosis.

Eosinophilia in pediatric uncomplicated appendicitis is a time stable pattern.

Purpose: We have recently shown that uncomplicated phlegmonous appendicitis is characterized by independent inflammatory patterns based on significant eosinophilia in children aged 7-17 years. However, clinical decision-making based on inflammatory values is not easy, especially due to the dynamics of inflammation over time. The present study was performed to evaluate the basic distinguishability of the inflammatory entities by laboratory values over time based on an extended patient number with children aged 0-17 years.

Correction to: Phlegmonous appendicitis in children is characterized by eosinophilia in white blood cell counts.

The original article can be found online.