| Abstract |
Background and objectives Appendicitis is a frequent cause of abdominal pain. Because of the limited availability of imaging services in many medical centers and an urge to reduce the substantial number of unnecessary appendectomies, several clinical diagnostic tools have been constructed. A novel diagnostic tool, referred to as the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) score, has been created to assist in identifying acute appendicitis (AA) in Asian nations. The study aimed to assess the correlation between RIPASA scores and the severity of appendicitis as determined by pathological examination. Materials and methods The study was a prospective observational investigation undertaken in the Department of General Surgery at Muslim education society (MES) Medical College Perinthalmanna over 12 months. The study included all patients who had been diagnosed with AA and underwent appendectomy, provided they satisfied both the inclusion and exclusion criteria. An analysis was conducted on a convenience sample of 225 individuals using a prestructured proforma. The RIPASA scores were estimated before their surgery, taking into account their age, gender, symptoms, physical examination findings, and laboratory findings. These scores were subsequently contrasted with the histopathological results obtained after the appendectomy. The individuals were categorized into three groups according to their RIPASA scores. The lower-score category, scores between 4 and 7. The intermediate-score category consists of scores ranging from 7.5 to 11.5, while the higher-score category includes scores of 12 and above. These scores are correlated with the histopathology report (HPR) to determine the presence of appendicitis, perforated appendix, appendicular abscess, or the absence of pathology observed. Results The study population comprised of 137 (60.9%) males and 88 (39.1%) females. Among these, 177 individuals (78.7%) were younger than 40 years, while 48 individuals (21.3%) were older than 40 years. Out of 225 cases, 146 cases were AA (64.9%), 27 (12%) appendicular abscess cases, and 41 (18.2%) appendicular perforation cases. The normal appendix was noted in 11 out of 225 cases in the low-score group. The association between the histopathological report and RIPASA score was found to be statistically highly significant (p=0.000). In the low-score group, there were 14 cases of appendicitis (53.8%), one case of appendicular abscess (3.8%), a total of 11 cases without pathology observed (42.3%), and no reported instances of appendicular perforation. In the intermediate-score category, there were 121 cases of appendicitis (89.6%), 12 cases of appendicular abscess (8.9%), 2 cases of appendicular perforation (1.5%), and no reported cases in the non-pathology category. Among the high-score category, there were 11 cases of appendicitis (17.2%), 14 cases of appendicular abscess (21.9%), 39 cases of appendicular perforation (60.9%), and no reported instances of negative appendectomy. Conclusion The study has shown that the RIPASA scoring system had a high diagnostic efficacy in identifying AA. This scoring system is an effective, dependable, cost-effective, noninvasive, reproducible, and safe diagnostic technique that does not require additional expenses or concerns.
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