Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] Thanks, yes, My 12 yr old has recent fever with abdominal pain and Hi WBC (18K). We have ruled out appendicitis,UTI, and ultrasound was negative but not sure what else to do? No CT scan (radiation risk) But we asked about MRI, they deferred , What wold be your plan of action?
[|AI|]  Hi ! Good afternoon. I am Chat Doctor answering you query. If all the investigations till now showed nothing, and the symptoms persist, then I would either go for an MRI or a diagnostic laparoscopy which could visualize the pathology, and perform an appendectomy. There might not be much harm in taking out a normal appendix, but much harm might be done on leaving a diseased appendix. However, decision would be of the treating doctor, who already has examined the child clinically as appendicitis is more of a clinical diagnosis than an investigative diagnosis. I hope this information would help you in discussing with your family physician/treating doctor in deciding on further management of your problem. Please do not hesitate to ask in case of any further doubts. Thanks for choosing Chat Doctor to clear doubts on your health problems. Wishing you an early recovery. Chat Doctor.