The place of scoring systems for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Aim: Acute appendicitis is among the most frequently observed reasons of abdominal pain. The high rate of dubiousness in diagnosis, high rate of negative appendectomy led to the introduction of scoring systems. Despite today’s advanced imaging methods and various scoring methods like Alvarado, making the diagnosis may not always be easy. On the other hand, negative appendectomy rate is reported to be 15-30%. Therefore accurate and rapid diagnosis is fundamental in acute appendicitis. In our study we aimed to determine the place of scoring systems defined by Alvarado, Ohmann and Eskelinen for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and their efficacy in lowering negative appendectomy rates. Material and Methods: In our study, 120 patients who were operated as a result of diagnosis of acute appendicitis between May-2011 and July-2011 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients’ Alvarado, Ohmann and Eskelinen scores were calculated for evaluation. Result: It was seen that there was a statistically significant between high Alvarado and Ohmann scores and pathological acute appendicitis. Considering Eskelinen score, significant difference could not be determined. Discussion: In conclusion, Alvarado, Ohmann and Eskelinen scoring systems were evaluated with regard to acute appendicitis and found a meaningful relationship between Alvarado and Ohmann scoring systems and the acute appendicitisit is thought that the use of the scoring system especially for children and the elder would decrease negative appendectomy and perforations. In addition, its coefficients which create a calculation difficulty in practical use limit the use of this scoring system in emergencies which work intensively.