[Acute abdominal pains in children: when to refer to the surgeon?].

Children presenting with acute abdominal pains at emergency rooms are frequent, but few of them require a pediatric surgeon. However it can be dangerous for the patient (and for the physician = major cause of prosecutions) to misdiagnose those cases. Children with "classic" gastroenteritis may prove to have a perforated appendicitis, while those with tender abdomens may suffer pneumonia or streptococcal pharyngitis, and a comatous child may have an intussusception and not a metabolic disease. We review the diagnostic and management of some common causes of surgical abominal pains in children to help the physicians to avoid some pitfalls, and to involve the pediatric surgeons at an early stage.