Quality of Life and Pain After Appendectomy in Children

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common emergency general surgical conditions worldwide and represents the leading cause of emergency abdominal surgery in children. In some cases, appendectomy may result in persistent or recurrent pain in the right iliac fossa, which may negatively affect quality of life, particularly in children. The primary aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of chronic pain at the third postoperative month in pediatric patients who underwent appendectomy. The age, sex, body mass index, and comorbidities of patients aged 8-18 years who underwent appendectomy will be recorded. Pain in children who met the inclusion criteria was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). To evaluate the effects of pain on quality of life, the child and parent versions of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) were administered at the third postoperative month. In addition, the Functional Disability Inventory (FDI) was used at the third postoperative month to assess the impact of pain on the patient's functional status.

Inclusion Criteria: Children between the ages of 8-18 years who underwent appendectomy, who had ASA physical status I-II Exclusion Criteria: Children who aged under 8 and over 18 years, who had American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status III or higher, who had a history of previous surgery in the right lower abdominal quadrant, who had psychiatric disorders, who had preoperative chronic abdominal pain