RT Book, Section A1 Bajaj, Lalit A2 Tenenbein, Milton A2 Macias, Charles G. A2 Sharieff, Ghazala Q. A2 Yamamoto, Loren G. A2 Schafermeyer, Robert SR Print(0) ID 1155297558 T1 Appendicitis T2 Strange and Schafermeyer's Pediatric Emergency Medicine, 5e YR 2019 FD 2019 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259860751 LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1155297558 RD 2024/11/13 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.