Effectiveness of Modified Alvarado Scoring System for Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis

BACKGROUND Acute appendicitis is very commonly diagnosed when a patient presents with acute abdomen. This is more commonly seen in the young and middle-aged individuals. The clinical signs and symptoms determine the diagnosis and management. Scoring systems are in plenty to diagnose acute appendicitis and mainly include the presenting signs and symptoms, but are not acceptable for all populations with different age groups. Modified Alvarado scoring system is a timed tested scoring system used in different populations and age groups with good efficacy and to provide a bedside clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The purpose of this study was to assess effectiveness of modified Alvarado score in the early diagnosis of acute appendicitis. METHODS A prospective observational study was done which incorporated 50 patients presenting with the signs and symptoms pointing out to acute appendicitis, clinically. The patients were evaluated by Modified Alvarado score during admission and based on the treating surgeon’s decision, were operated. Finally, the score was compared with the diagnosis achieved with a histopathological examination of the operated specimen. RESULTS The sensitivity of raja isteri penigran anak saleha appendicitis (RIPASA) score was 70.58 %, specificity was 68.75 %, positive predictive value (PPV) was 82.75 %, negative predictive value (NPV) of RIPASA score was 52.38 % and the diagnostic accuracy of RIPASA score was 70 %. CONCLUSIONS Modified Alvarado scoring system is simple scoring system which can be used in a bedside manner but uses specific and limited features for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis which limits the effectiveness of this scoring system. KEY WORDS Acute Abdomen, Clinical Scoring System, Modified Alvarado Scoring System