[Diagnostic value of the rectal examination and the difference in axillo-rectal temperatures in acute appendicitis in childhood].

The authors deal with the importance of pain in the Douglas space during rectal examination and the contribution of the axillo- rectal difference in temperature in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in a group of 402 children operated on who had the above preoperative diagnosis. Marked pain in the Douglas space was recorded in 53.6% children and complete absence of pain in 31.2% of the children with acute appendicitis proved at operation. In children where so-called negative laparotomy was performed this ratio was reversed. When evaluating the axillo-rectal difference in temperature the authors reached the paradoxical conclusion that an obviously physiological difference in the axillo-rectal temperature (up to 0.5 degrees C) was slightly more frequent in acute appendicitis than in negative laparotomy. An obviously pathological difference (1 degrees C or more) was three times more frequent in patients with negative laparotomies than in acute appendicitis. Next the authors discuss views reported in the literature where data on the asset of rectal examination in acute appendicitis vary between 2.9-73%. In the conclusion the authors recommend rectal examinations in all children with suspicion of any type of acute abdomen, however, taking into account that pain in the Douglas space will contribute only little to the reduction of the number of negative laparotomies. They consider assessment of the axillo-rectal difference in temperature practically useless.