Neonatal appendicitis: case report and a revised review of the English literature.

A case of perforated neonatal appendicitis in a surviving premature infant is presented. An up-dated review of the English literature on this subject is included. Of 111 cases with adequate documentation, 29 neonates had the inflamed appendix located within the inguinal hernial sac and survived after operation. In contrast only 24 (29%) of the remaining 82 patients with intra-abdominal acute appendicitis survived. The operative mortality rate in this review since 1901 with and without appendiceal perforation was 61% and 41% respectively. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis since 1976 was made at laparotomy in all patients except one, whereas it was made at necropsy in 57% of the cases of abdominal appendicitis that were reported previously.