Objective: To probe into the clinical characteristics of acute appendicitis in newborns and infants

so as to reduce the clinical misdiagnosis rate and improve the prognosis. Methods: Clinical data of acute appendicitis children under 1 year old admitted into our hospital from Feb. 1993 to Jul. 2018 were extracted. According to different age groups

all patients were divided into the newborn group and the infant group. Clinical characteristics of two groups were compared. Results: Totally 87 cases were enrolled

including 31 cases in the newborn group and 56 cases in the infant group. All children were cured after conservative medical treatment or surgical resection

and there were no deaths. The incidence of abdominal distension

milk rejection and poor response

abdominal distension

exposure of abdominal vein

abdominal swelling and decreased bowel sound in the newborn group was higher than that in the infant group

while the incidence of vomiting

irritable crying and right inguinal mass/abdominal mass was lower than that in the infant group (P<0.05). In the pathological types

the newborn group was dominated by gangrenous appendicitis

yet the infant group was dominated by simple appendicitis. The length of stay of the newborn group was longer than that of the infant group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acute appendicitis in the newborn has relatively long length of stay and is prone to perforation. The clinical manifestations are mainly abdominal distension

breast rejection and poor response

exposure of abdominal vein

abdominal swelling and decreased bowel sound. There is no specificity

and the clinical diagnosis is easy to be misdiagnosed and missed. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal distension and abdominal signs in children suggest inflammation in the abdominal cavity

high vigilance is required. Therefore

diagnosis should be made after combining clinical manifestations

abdominal ultrasound and exploratory laparotomy when necessary

so as to obtain early treatment and improve the prognosis.