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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Surgery
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1400638

Surgical aspects of pediatric abdominal pain in the era of COVID-19: Clinical consideration and outcomes

Provisionally accepted
Nezar Abo-Halawa Nezar Abo-Halawa 1*. Mohamed A. Negm . Mohamed A. Negm 2Mohamed Arafa Mohamed Arafa 3mohamed fathy mohamed fathy 4
  • 1 General surgery, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Qena, Egypt
  • 3 Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt
  • 4 Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    BBackground: Acute abdominal pain in pediatrics is a medical emergency that requires special attention. During COVID-19 pandemic, this disease presented in pediatric age by different presentations including abdominal presentations.The affected children are presented with abdominal pain, which may be caused by surgical causes or by the virus itself that necessitate surgical consultation. Purpose: This study highlights the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on pediatric patients with acute abdominal pain regarding the presentation, clinical evaluation, and surgical management. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was done through the collection of data from medical records and authors' data repositories of pediatric patients presented with acute abdomen from March 2020 to March 2022, in three pediatric surgery tertiary centers. Results: Eighty-four pediatric patients with acute abdominal pain were included in this study. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was found in 31 patients (36.9%). Generalized abdominal pain was noted in 17 patients (20.2%) and presentation mimicked acute cholecystitis was occured in 14 patients (16.7%). ultrasonography revealed intussusception in 12 cases (14.3%). Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) was present in 9 cases (10.7%) and only one case of pancreatitis (1.2%). Conservative management was successful in 66 cases (78.6%), while operative intervention was needed in18 cases (21.4%). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, acute abdominal pain in children was frequently observed. Careful follow up is critically important as most cases do not necessitate surgical intervention. It is crucial to consider COVID-19 as a differential diagnosis in children presenting with acute abdominal pain, particularly in cases of atypical appendicitis and intussusception to prevent unnecessary surgical procedures. Keywords: Acute abdominal pain, pediatric, COVID-19, appendicitis, multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)

    Keywords: Acute abdominal pain, pediatric, COVID-19, Appendicitis, Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

    Received: 13 Mar 2024; Accepted: 29 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Abo-Halawa, Negm, Arafa and fathy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Nezar Abo-Halawa, General surgery, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.