Operation with appendectomy for appendiceal mass carries a high risk of complications compared with conservative treatment or drainage .
Drainage may lower the risk of treatment failure but entails a risk of complications .
INTRODUCTION The treatment strategy for appendiceal mass is controversial , ranging from operation or image-guided drainage to conservative treatment with or without antibiotics .
The aim of this study was to assess the various treatment modalities with respect to complications and treatment failure .
Comparison of therapeutic effectiveness of percutaneous drainage with antibiotics versus antibiotics alone in the treatment of periappendiceal abscess
Background The present study was design ed to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of percutaneous drainage with antibiotics versus antibiotics alone in the treatment of appendicitis complicated by periappendiceal abscess . Methods In a prospect i ve study , 50 patients with acute appendicitis complicated by periappendiceal abscess ≥ 3 cm in size were r and omly assigned to two groups . The first group received treatment with ultrasound guided-percutaneous drainage and i.v . antibiotics ( ampicillin , cefuroxime , and metronidazole ) , and the other group received antibiotics only .  Patient ’s baseline characteristics , duration of hospital stay , and treatment outcome and complications were analyzed . Results Appendectomy was avoided in 16/25 patients in the drainage group and 2/25 patients in the non-drainage group during follow-up with RR of 0.39 ( 95 % CI = 0.22–0.62 ; p < 0.05 ) . One patient in the drainage group and 8 patients in the non-drainage group underwent surgery in the first month after the beginning of treatment . Eight patients in the drainage group and 15 in the non-drainage group underwent interval appendectomy . There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding patient demographics , abscess size , and pretreatment clinical symptoms . Hospital stay up to the subsidence of clinical and sonographic signs was significantly shorter ( p < 0.001 ) in the drainage group , with a mean difference of 6.4 days ( 95 % CI = 5.0–7.9 ; p < 0.05 ) . Conclusions Percutaneous drainage with antibiotics is a safe and effective way of treating acute perforated appendicitis . The recurrence rate for these patients is relatively low , and very often interval appendectomy is not required . For patients with periappendiceal abscess ≥ 3 cm in diameter , antibiotic therapy alone is insufficient and the recurrence rate is high
Operation with appendectomy for appendiceal mass carries a high risk of complications compared with conservative treatment or drainage .
Drainage may lower the risk of treatment failure but entails a risk of complications .
INTRODUCTION The treatment strategy for appendiceal mass is controversial , ranging from operation or image-guided drainage to conservative treatment with or without antibiotics .
The aim of this study was to assess the various treatment modalities with respect to complications and treatment failure .