A new US study claims that merely popping in antibiotics could cure appendicitis in children, a condition for which surgery is considered the only option at present.

The study claimed that children who took to treatment through antibiotics for simple appendicitis instead of going under the knife recovered fully without ever needing a surgery.

Dr. Peter Minneci of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said: "There is a relatively good body of literature in adults and also in children that shows patients and parents involved in the decision process do better".

Explaining about appendicitis, another researcher said the condition occurred due to inflammation in the appendix, which is a small pouch of tissue at the end of large intestine. The inflammation may be caused by an infection, blockage, trauma or intestinal disorders like Crohn's disease.

As many as 629 children aged seven to 17 years were initially screened by researchers for the study between October 2012 and March 2013. All the patients had reported at emergency room with appendicitis. About 22% of these patients did not show severe symptoms of appendicitis.

Ultimately, 102 children were enrolled for the study. Of them, 37 opted for 24-hour intravenous antibiotic treatment, followed by 10 days of oral antibiotics. The others elected surgery. After a year, 76% of the children who only took antibiotics were still healthy and didn't need any additional treatment.