Differential Diagnosis 1 (Appendicitis)

Differential diagnosis of appendicitis depending on the clinical presentation of the appendicitis. The differential diagnosis depends on the age of the patient, the clinical presentation, and the stage of the appendicitis. The abdominal emergency or 'surgical abdomen' stands in the forefront; in infants an acute obstructive ileus is quite often an option of differential diagnosis, e.g. acute intussusception or postoperative obstruction due to adhesions. In girls, premenstrual syndrome, midpain, ruptured corpus luteum cyst, and other similar pathologies play an important role in the differential diagnosis at puberty or later. In complicated appendicitis with perityphlitic abscess the differential diagnosis is that of fever and/or abdominal or pelvic tumor. The following pediatric diseases are differential diagnoses of acute appendicitis: pneumonia, meningitis, diabetes mellitus, gastroenteritis.