CONTINUING DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGE OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS: EVALUATION THROUGH MODIFIED ALVARADO SCORE

Abstract

Background: Acute appendicitis with protean manifestations may simulate almost any other acute abdominal illness and in turn may be mimicked by a variety of conditions. Progression of symptoms and signs is usual in contrast to the fluctuating course of some other diseases that lead to heavy morbidity and mortality. Methods: A practical score for the early diagnosis of acute appendicitis was established by Alvarado in 1986 and was assessed in this study for its accuracy in pre‐operative diagnosis. The usefulness of this scoring system in reducing the evaluated negative appendicectomy rate of acute appendicitis in 91 patients, diagnosed by clinical parameters only, over a period of 12 months is determined. Results: A total of 106 patients underwent Alvarado scoring in emergency surgical service at SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar Kashmir, India. Conclusions: The high scores in men and children were found to be an easy and satisfactory aid in the early diagnosis of acute appendicitis, but a high false‐positive rate for acute appendicitis was found in women.