title: The Kid-Short Marfan Score (Kid-SMS) - an easy executable risk score for suspected paediatric patients with Marfan syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Due to age-dependent manifestations, diagnosis of Marfan syndrome (MFS) in children and adolescents is sophisticated. Although revised Ghent criteria is a major step forward, its utility in children is still restricted due to expensive and technically advanced diagnostics. As early diagnosis submits long-term benefits concerning prognosis, the need of an appropriate diagnostic tool for risk stratification of suspected paediatric patients with Marfan is justified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty paediatric patients with Marfan were subject to a standardized diagnostic programme. All clinical symptoms of the revised Ghent nosology were analysed concerning age at first clinical manifestation, prevalence and likelihood ratio for MFS. Symptoms with early onset, high prevalence and high positive likelihood ratio were identified and combined for a risk score called Kid-Short Marfan Score (Kid-SMS). Three risk categories for suspicion of Marfan syndrome were developed. Finally, the Kid-SMS was operated in 130 paediatric patients with suspected MFS. Kid-SMS identified significantly more suspected patients with Marfan compared with Ghent nosology, revised Ghent and genetics alone without oversensitivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whereas diagnosis of MFS in childhood is sophisticated, Kid-SMS is a useful tool for risk stratification of suspected paediatric patients with Marfan by easy executable diagnostics, especially for paediatricians and paediatric cardiologists.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Paediatric Cardiology, University Heart Centre, University of Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Goetz C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: Kristoffer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.forename: Yskert
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: von Kodolitsch
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Mir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008382:Marfan Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018570:Risk Assessment