Open AccessNovel molecular biomarkers and diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children
Author(s) -
Sarah V.L. Hodge,
Beata Mickiewicz,
Matthew Lau,
Craig N. Jenne,
Graham C. Thompson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biomarkers in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1752-0371
pISSN - 1752-0363
DOI - 10.2217/bmm-2021-0108
Subject(s) - medicine , appendicitis , precision medicine , clinical practice , modalities , medical physics , intensive care medicine , pathology , general surgery , physical therapy , social science , sociology
Reliable and efficient diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis is essential for the establishment of a clinical management plan and improvement of patient outcomes. Current strategies used to diagnose a child presenting with a suspected appendicitis include laboratory studies, clinical scores and diagnostic imaging. Although these modalities work in conjunction with each other, one optimal diagnostic strategy has yet to be agreed upon. The recent introduction of precision medicine techniques such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics has increased both the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of appendicitis. Using these novel strategies, the integration of precision medicine into clinical practice via point-of-care technologies is a plausible future. These technologies would assist in the screening, diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric appendicitis.