Related Experiment Videos
The Alvarado score and acute appendicitis
1Department of General Surgery, Alexandra Hospital, 378 Alexandra Road, Singapore 159964.
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
|October 18, 2001
Summary
The Alvarado score accurately predicts appendicitis in patients with right iliac fossa pain. This diagnostic tool is especially useful for ruling in or ruling out appendicitis.
Area of Science:
- Medical Diagnostics
- Surgical Assessment
- Clinical Scoring Systems
Background:
- Appendicitis diagnosis in patients presenting with right iliac fossa pain can be challenging.
- Accurate diagnostic tools are essential to minimize negative appendectomies and ensure timely treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Alvarado score in predicting appendicitis.
- To assess the utility of the Alvarado score in a clinical setting for patients with suspected appendicitis.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 148 consecutive patients with suspected appendicitis.
- Correlation of the Alvarado score, calculated from admission notes, with final patient outcomes.
- Outpatient follow-up for patients discharged without surgery to confirm diagnosis.
Main Results:
- The study included 148 patients, with 63 undergoing appendectomy for suspected appendicitis.
- A normal appendicectomy rate of 21% was observed.
- The positive predictive value for Alvarado scores of 7 or more was 77%, and the negative predictive value was 97.6%.
Conclusions:
- The Alvarado score is a valuable tool for diagnosing appendicitis.
- The score demonstrates high utility, particularly in identifying patients unlikely to have appendicitis (low scores) and those highly likely to have it (high scores).