EVALUATION OF RIPASA SCORE FOR DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS

ABSTRACT
Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of the RIPASA score in diagnosing acute appendicitis using per-operative
findings as a gold standard.
Study design: Descriptive study.
Setting: January to August 2017, Accident and Emergency department and Surgical OPDs of HMC, NWGH, LRH, PIMS
and NKBMH were recruited for the study.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 76 patients that presented with the complaint of pain in the right
iliac fossa. RIPASA score was recorded for each patient and the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive
values were then derived for this score.
Results: Within a period of three and a half months, 76 patients with a mean age of 26.17 ± 12.80 years were assessed.
Out of these, 71 had appendicectomies while the remaining 5 were put on conservative treatment. Taking 7.5 as the cutoff
threshold score, a sensitivity of 86.89%, specificity of 57.14%, PPV of 95.24% and an NPV of 30.80% were obtained.
Conclusion: The RIPASA score is suitable for diagnosing cases of acute appendicitis in our population and more
importantly in helping doctors avoid negative appendicectomies.
Keywords: RIPASA score, Acute appendicitis, Per-operative findings