Abstract
During the period from September 1978 through Decemder 1987, 81 children underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis in our surgical section. In 47 of them (58.0%), the disease was gangrenous, mostly with panperitonitis and/or localised abscess. Nineteen (49.7%) of those suffered from vafious postoperative complications, while the other 34 children with catarrahric or phlegmonous appendicitis had no postoperative complications. Statistically, these complications occured more frequenty in patients with duration of symptoms for 5 or more days. Following next 2 years, internal appendectomy, which is a delayed surgical intervention 2-3 months after an initial conservative treatment, was tried in 6 children with a gangrenous appendicitis diagnosed at 5 or more days after the oneset of symptoms. As the results, we could improve the postoperative complication rate to 23.1% in 13 children with gangrenous appendicitis.
