Introduction:

antibiotic therapy for acute uncomplicated appendicitis in the adult patient has been proposed to be a safe and effective alternative.

Objective:

to review the available evidence to assess the safety and efficacy of antibiotic treatment.

Material and methods:

a literature search in databases comparing antibiotic therapy and appendectomy was made to identify the most recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses with the results on the safety and efficacy of the intervention.

Results:

four systematic reviews with meta-analyses meet the inclusion criteria. The antibiotic treatment group had a lower success rate, overall effective and complication rate. The rates of complicated appendicitis with peritonitis identified at the time of operation and surgical complications were equivalent in both groups. The appendectomy group had a higher success rate and treatment efficacy at 1-year follow-up.

Conclusions:

appendectomy is still the most effective treatment than antibiotic therapy for definitive cure of acute uncomplicated appendicitis. Antibiotic therapy can be considered as an alternative for those patients who wish to avoid surgery and do not have predictors of treatment failure.