ArticleOpen access emergency medicine : OAEM2021
Predictive Factors to Diagnose Appendicitis in Children in the Emergency Department.
Article in Open access emergency medicine : OAEM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic accuracy of blood tests of inflammation in paediatric appendicitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Comparison of the Alvarado Score with Alternative Diagnostic Tools in Pediatric Acute Appendicitis: A Literature Review.Pediatric reports · 2026Review
- Validation and Comparison of Pediatric Appendicitis Scores and Management Strategies (Project SPASMS): Protocol for a Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Predictive Factors of Acute Appendicitis and Its Outcomes Among the Pediatric Age Group.Cureus · 2025Article
- Many diagnostic tools for appendicitis: a scoping review.Surgical endoscopy · 2023Article
- Diagnostic Algorithm Based on Machine Learning to Predict Complicated Appendicitis in Children Using CT, Laboratory, and Clinical Features.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe most common surgical condition in children is appendicitis. However, making a diagnosis can be difficult due to poor communication and difficulty in the physical examination.
objectiveThis study aimed to determine the accurate clinical predictive factors for the diagnosis of appendicitis in children in the emergency department (ED).
methodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2015 to December 2019. The electronic medical records were reviewed from 1043 pediatric patients younger than 15 years with the chief complaint of abdominal pain and were admitted to the ED during the study period. The patients were divided into either the appendicitis group or non-appendicitis group. The two groups were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, abdominal symptoms and signs, symptom durations, laboratory results, final diagnosis, treatment in the ED, ED disposition, morbidity, and mortality. The significant predictive factors for the diagnosis of appendicitis were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression.
resultsPredictive factors for the diagnosis of appendicitis in pediatric patients with abdominal pain were gradual increase in abdominal pain (odds ratio (OR) 3.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.51-7.58), right lower quadrant abdominal tenderness (OR 21.07, 95% CI 9.12-48.67), presentation of peritoneal irritation signs (OR 12.57, 95% CI 5.28-29.92), and an absolute neutrophil count >75% (OR 4.68, 95% CI 2.3-9.51). The significant variables were used to develop a diagnostic predictive probability scoring system that ranged from 0.05 to 0.95. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated a cut-off point of 0.089 to predict pediatric appendicitis with an area under the curve of 0.963.
conclusionThe predictive factors for diagnosing appendicitis in children are useful in determining which children require surgical intervention. However, the clinical symptoms and physical examination of the abdomen continue to be the most important diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of appendicitis in children.
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