INFORMATIVITY AND DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ALVARADO SCALE IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSTICS FOR ABDOMINAL PAIN IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Background. Currently diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children has two main objectives: exact and early identification of patients with the destructive forms of appendicitis requiring emergency surgical treatment and decrease in number of negative appendectomy. Aim of study. To determine the informative value and diagnostic significance of Alvarado scale for abdominal pain in children. Material and methods. A prospective randomized blind clinical trial was carried out. 260 children with abdominal pain syndrome aged from 5 to 18 years were examined. Results. Alvarado scale has high informativity and sensitivity. Using the scale the level of hypodiagnostic errors is less than 5%. The specificity of Alvorado scale is insufficient to indicate surgical treatment. Conclusions. Further studying of diagnostic opportunities of Alvorado scale in children and also its modification to increase specificity is necessary.

Keywords

• acute appendicitis
• children
• diagnostics