Alvarado v.1
The Alvarado score was developed to assist in diagnosing appendicitis. A score ≤3p indicates low probability of appendicitis, whereas a CT scan is recommended for scores 4-6p. ≥7 warrants surgical consultation.
The Alvarado score was developed to assist in diagnosing appendicitis in the early stages.
The total score, derived by adding up the individual scores for each of the 8 items ranges from 0 to 10 with score weights allocated thus: +2 points - Right lower quadrant tenderness +1 point - Elevated temperature (>37.3°C or 99.1°F) +1 point - Rebound tenderness +1 point - Migration of pain to the right lower quadrant +1 point - Anorexia +1 point - Nausea or vomiting +2 point - Leukocytosis > 10,000 +1 point - Leukocyte left shift - A CT scan is recommended for scores 4-6 - A surgical consultation for scores ≥ 7. - For scores ≤ 3: a CT scan is not needed due to the low probability of appendicitis.
This tool depends on a thorough clinical assessment made by the physician and care team and should only be used to assist diagnosis.
Ref. 1: Alvarado A. A practical score for the early diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Ann Emerg Med. 1986; 15(5): 557-64. Ref. 2: McKay R, Shepherd J. The use of the clinical scoring system by Alvarado in the decision to perform computed tomography for acute appendicitis in the ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2007; 25(5): 489-93.
OBSERVATION.alvarado_score.v1, EVALUATION.alvarado_appendicitis_assessment.v1
