Aim:

Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdomen. Although the Alvarado scoring system is one of the most commonly used tools in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) scoring system is gaining popularity in the Asian countries. In this study, we aimed to compare Alvarado scoring with RIPASA scoring in patients with suspected acute appendicitis.

Methods:

A total of 100 patients, who underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis between June 2018 and December 2018, were included in the study. The cut-off value for the Alvarado and RIPASA was 6 (max=10 points) and 7.5 (max=16 points), respectively. The patients were operated after evaluation using the both scoring systems.

Results:

Thirty-seven patients were female and 63 were male. Sixty-one patients had a Alvarado score of >6, and 39 had <6. Five patients had a RIPASA score of <7.5 and 95 patients >7.5. In 34 of the 39 patients who had an Alvarado score below the cut-off value, the RIPASA score was significantly higher than the cut-off value (p<0.0041).

Conclusion:

The RIPASA scoring system is a new scoring tool but it is rapidly gaining popularity. We believe that it may be useful in patients with suspected acute appendicitis. Further prospective randomized studies are warranted.

Keywords: RIPASA, Alvarado, acute appendicitis