TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Appendicitis A1 - Bajaj, Lalit A2 - Tenenbein, Milton A2 - Macias, Charles G. A2 - Sharieff, Ghazala Q. A2 - Yamamoto, Loren G. A2 - Schafermeyer, Robert PY - 2019 T2 - Strange and Schafermeyer's Pediatric Emergency Medicine, 5e AB - Appendicitis is the most common surgical illness of childhood.The presentation of appendicitis in children is variable, and many other conditions mimic it, such as right lower lobe pneumonia, mesenteric adenitis, and gastroenteritis.Blood tests such as white blood cell count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin can be helpful, but are not reliable for excluding appendicitis.Diagnostic imaging is not required in children with a high clinical probability of appendicitis.Ultrasound is the initial imaging modality of choice, with computed tomography (CT) reserved for nondefinitive sonographic studies.Clinical decision rules that identify low risk for appendicitis should be used to avoid clinical investigations in these children. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1155297558 ER -