Pediatric appendicitis score.

Background/purpose: Morbidity in children treated with appendicitis results either from late diagnosis or negative appendectomy. A Prospective analysis of efficacy of Pediatric Appendicitis Score for early diagnosis of appendicitis in children was conducted.

Methods: In the last 5 years, 1,170 children aged 4 to 15 years with abdominal pain suggestive of acute appendicitis were evaluated prospectively. Group 1 (734) were patients with appendicitis and group 2 (436) nonappendicitis. Multiple linear logistic regression analysis of all clinical and investigative parameters was performed for a model comprising 8 variables to form a diagnostic score.

Results: Logistic regression analysis yielded a model comprising 8 variables, all statistically significant, P <.001. These variables in order of their diagnostic index were (1) cough/percussion/hopping tenderness in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen (0.96), (2) anorexia (0.88), (3) pyrexia (0.87), (4) nausea/emesis (0.86), (5) tenderness over the right iliac fossa (0.84), (6) leukocytosis (0.81), (7) polymorphonuclear neutrophilia (0.80) and (8) migration of pain (0.80). Each of these variables was assigned a score of 1, except for physical signs (1 and 5), which were scored 2 to obtain a total of 10. The Pediatric Appendicitis Score had a sensitivity of 1, specificity of 0.92, positive predictive value of 0.96, and negative predictive value of 0.99.

Conclusion: Pediatric appendicitis score is a simple, relatively accurate diagnostic tool for accessing an acute abdomen and diagnosing appendicitis in children.