The Alvarado score as a tool for diagnosis of acute appendicitis

In diagnosing appendicitis, clinicians balance the risk of misdiagnosis-removing a normal appendix in patients whose signs and symptoms may not be typical- against the risk of perforation of the appendix that might occur while waiting to see if typical findings emerge. Despite the growing availability of advanced diagnostic testing (U.S/C.T), a recent population-based study in USA indicated that there was essentially no change in the frequency of negative appendicectomy. At present many scoring systems for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis are available. Alvarado score, is a simple scoring system that can be instituted easily. It is purely based on history, clinical examination, and routine laboratory tests.