Balakrishnan Subramani1, Lokeshwari Kalaichelvan2, Ganganesamy Selvam3, Latha Madhavan4
BACKGROUND
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common cause of acute abdominal pain and emergency appendicectomy is the most common emergency surgery. The diagnosis of appendicitis is confirmed by histopathological examination that is not possible before appendicectomy. The negative exploration remains high in the rate of about 15-30%.1 Scoring systems based on history, clinical examination and basic investigations are there in aiding the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and decreasing negative exploration. This study compares RIPASA and ALVARADO scoring systems in diagnosing acute appendicitis.2
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A comparative study was done between November 2014 to June 2015. Patients diagnosed as acute appendicitis in Department of General Surgery, Government Royapettah Hospital. 100 of them are to be selected on the basis of nonprobability (purposive) sampling method. After considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 96 were enrolled into the study. A full history, clinical examination and both scoring systems were done on the patients.
RESULTS
In 96 patients, 46 patients (48%) were male and 50 patients (52%) were female. 65 patients underwent emergency appendicectomy based on the clinical decision. The sensitivity and specificity of the RIPASA scoring system was 98.0% and 80.43%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the ALVARADO scoring system was 80.43% and 86.95%, respectively. The PPV (positive predictive value) of RIPASA and ALVARADO was 84% and 85%, respectively. The NPP (negative predictive value) of RIPASA and ALVARADO was 97% and 71%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was 89% for RIPASA and 77% for ALVARADO.
CONCLUSION
The RIPASA scoring is better than ALVARADO scoring in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
