title: A prospective evaluation of the modified Alvarado score for acute appendicitis in children.
abstract: The accuracy of the modified Alvarado score was assessed prospectively in the preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children. A consecutive series of 118 patients (54 boys, 64 girls) with acute abdominal pain was studied prospectively over a 6 month period. Appendicitis was confirmed in 38 of 43 children undergoing appendicectomy, giving a false-positive appendicectomy rate of 11.6%. No child under active observation was subsequently found to have a perforated appendix. The overall sensitivity of a modified Alvarado score of > or = 7 was 76.3% and its specificity was 78.8%. Current clinical practice is more accurate than the modified Alvarado score in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, United Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Macklin
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Radcliffe
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Merei
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Stringer
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index