Introduction:

Acute appendicitis is the commonest surgical disease in emergency surgery; however, it remains a diagnostic problem.

Objectives:

To evaluate the Alvarado score as a diagnostic tool for acute appendicitis.

Methods:

We carried out an observational and descriptive study, with analytical phases, of a population of 107 patients with suspected diagnosis of acute appendicitis, at Carlos Manuel de Céspedes University Hospital in Bayamo, Granma, from January to May 2019. The data were processed in the Excel system, and the predictive parameters of clinical effectiveness were estimated.

Results:

Male patients (63.55%) predominated, with a mean age of 29.64 years and a mean time of evolution of symptoms of 33.74 hours. Application of the Alvarado score resulted in 87 patients (81.31%) with a probable diagnosis of acute appendicitis, 3.74% of which did not suffer from the disease. The score demonstrated a sensitivity (84%) and a specificity (80%) that makes it recommendable for routine clinical practice.

Conclusions:

The Alvarado score is a simple, noninvasive predictive scoring system recommended to be used in routine clinical practice in any setting and by any attending physician.

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