Tzanakis et al reported a score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The authors are from Athens University and affiliated hospitals in Greece.
Patient selection: mean 28.3 years with standard deviation of 13.3
Parameters:
(1) ultrasound findings
(2) tenderness in the right lower quadrant (RLQ)
(3) rebound tenderness
(4) leukocyte count per microliter
Parameter
Finding
Points
ultrasound findings
acute appendicitis
6
other
0
RLQ tenderness
no
yes
4
rebound tenderness
3
leukocyte count
<= 12,000 per µL
> 12,000 per µL
2
total score =
= SUM(points for the four parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 15
• A score >= 8 indicates the presence of acute appendicitis.
• This corresponds to US findings and 1 other finding, OR all 3 of the non-US findings.
Score
Appendicitis
0 to 4
0%
5 to 7
3.8%
8 to 15
97%
Performance:
• The authors claim an area under the ROC curve of 0.93.
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Specialty: Gastroenterology
