Antibiotic therapy versus appendectomy for treatment of non-perforated acute appendicitis

Appendectomy has been the standard approach to management of acute appendicitis for decades. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the treatment with antibiotics as an alternative option. The findings have varied, and in the absence of a current systematic review, are inconclusive. The AVATAR meta-analysis aims to evaluate the relative merits of antibiotic therapy versus appendectomy in patients with acute nonperforated appendicitis, in a practical and pragmatic rather than a mechanistic and explanatory perspective.