Identical twin boys developed simultaneous acute appendicitis, in a case their surgeon says could help speed up the diagnosis for other doctors faced with a similar dilemma.

The eight-year-olds presented within hours of each other to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, Dr Mark Kovler wrote in BMJ Case Reports.

The second boy arrived just as surgery on his sibling was ending.

The boys had similar presentations of generalised abdominal pain for several hours, although the second twin’s pain was more localised to the right lower quadrant.