CT Can Predict Severity of Appendicitis

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale, AZ, USA) examined 105 patients between the ages of 15 and 69 who underwent an appendectomy within three days after having an abdominal CT. Results of the CT scans were compared with the actual severity of acute appendicitis. The study demonstrated that CT gave results correlating with the actual condition of the appendix in acute appendicitis. These results were utilized to devise a model that could, when used in combination with additional CT measurements, help determine the best treatment course in patients strongly suspected of having acute appendicitis.

The researchers concluded that the study "accomplished the goal of devising a predictive model that, in the near future, may help stratify such patients based on prediction of the histologic severity of the disease. It provides a foundation for a subsequent prospective trial that will use predictive stratification that will determine the need for and timing of operative intervention.”

The study was published in the December 2004 issue of the journal The Archives of Surgery.




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