Larger Physique as a Risk Factor for Infantile Appendicitis: A Retrospective Study
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The authors present an interesting retrospective study demonstrating a higher average Z score for weight among infants with appendicitis versus older children with appendicitis. As a retrospective study, this is well performed with what appears to be sound statistics and an interesting conclusion that is of interest to pediatric surgeons and those who diagnose pediatric appendicitis.
Reviewer 2 Report
The study is methodologically very cleanly designed, and all calculations and statistical tests used are listed in a comprehensible manner. The manuscript is clearly structured and very readable. Tables and statistical figures are presented and labeled in a way that is easy to understand. In the discussion, the results are discussed and classified based on the current literature on the subject.
Although this is a retrospective study, it was conducted in a methodologically proper manner. The topic of appendicitis has a high clinical relevance. The studied correlations of physical constitution (height and weight) and appendicitis in infants and school-aged children have not been investigated before, with the exception of BMI, and are therefore an interesting observation that can and should be further investigated.
A publication is recommended from my side.