Aplicación de la escala de alvarado en diagnóstico de apendicitis aguda

Abstract

Introduction: In some instances, the diagnosis of appendicitis can be challenging. Over the years, diagnostic scoring tools, such as the Alvarado Scale, have been proposed to improve the assessment of acute appendicitis, reduce treatment costs, and minimize the percentage of negative appendectomies. Objective: To describe the effectiveness of applying the Alvarado Scale in diagnosing appendicitis. Methodology: A literature review was conducted, and articles were collected from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Lilacs, Epistemonikos, SciELO, and Google Scholar; descriptors in health sciences, MeSH terms, and Boolean operators were used for the search. Relevant articles in Spanish and English were included. Results: Scoring methods have been described to quantify and improve the accuracy of clinical evaluation of acute appendicitis. In 1986, surgeon Alfredo Alvarado designed a diagnostic method based on eight clinical criteria. Since then, the Alvarado score has been advantageous for predicting appendicitis. Conclusion: The Alvarado Scale is an effective method for diagnosing acute appendicitis, particularly in preoperative diagnosis, and it functions well in routine practice. However, it includes a series of subjective criteria, so nowadays, more objective systems have been implemented, such as the RIPASA and AIR scales for issuing a specific diagnosis.