Accuracy of White Blood Cell Count and C-reactive Protein Levels Related to Duration of Symptoms in Patients Suspected of Acute Appendicitis.

Objectives: Low levels of white blood cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been suggested to sufficiently rule out acute appendicitis. The diagnostic value of these tests is likely to depend on the duration of complaints. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of these inflammatory markers in relation to duration of symptoms in patients suspected of acute appendicitis.

C-reactive protein and white blood cell count as triage test between urgent and nonurgent conditions in 2961 patients with acute abdominal pain.

The purpose of this article is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) count to discriminate between urgent and nonurgent conditions in patients with acute abdominal pain at the emergency department, thereby guiding the selection of patients for immediate diagnostic imaging.Data from 3 large published prospective cohort studies of patients with acute abdominal pain were combined in an individual patient data meta-analysis. CRP levels and WBC counts were compared between patients with urgent and nonurgent final diagnoses.

Impact of clinical experience and diagnostic performance in patients with acute abdominal pain.

Background. The aims were to evaluate the importance of the formal competence of the emergency department physician, the patient's time of arrival at the emergency department, and the use of a structured schedule for investigation of patients with acute abdominal pain. Methods.

External validation of two tools for the clinical diagnosis of acute diverticulitis without imaging.

Aim: External validation and comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of two predictive tools, the emergency department triad and the clinical scoring tool in diagnosing acute diverticulitis.

Methods: Two derivation datasets were used crosswise for external validation. In addition, both tools were validated in a third independent cohort.

Diagnostic pitfalls and accuracy of diagnosis in acute abdominal pain.

Objective: To identify the differential diagnostic difficulties in acute abdominal pain at the emergency department and during hospitalization.

Material And Methods: Patients with abdominal pain lasting for up to 7 days were registered during 1997-2000 and re-evaluated one year after discharge (n=2851).

Results: Diagnoses with low sensitivity at the emergency department but markedly increased sensitivity at discharge were non-specific abdominal pain with a sensitivity value at the emergency department of 0.