Abstract

Nonoperative management of acute appendicitis as an alternative to appendectomy is evaluated in randomized control trials for treatment efficacy, perforation, and recurrence of appendicitis. PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCO databases were systematically searched for relevant articles. The terms such as acute uncomplicated appendicitis, antibiotic therapy, and nonoperative treatment were used. The initial literature search resulted in 122 records, but only four randomized control trials were found comparing surgery to conservative antibiotic treatment in adult patients with acute appendicitis. The four randomized controlled trails included a total of 1394 patients, of which 684 were treated with surgery and 710 were treated with conservative antibiotic treatment. It was concluded that nonoperative management of acute appendicitis is a safe and effective way to avoid post-operative complication but with a 30% chance of recurrence.

Key words: Antibiotic therapy, acute uncomplicated appendicitis, conservative treatment, non-operative treatment, systematic review.