To assess the role of RIPASA score in suspected cases of acute appendicitis with histopathological correlation and relevance to suburban Indian population: Single institutional study

Background: Acute appendicitis is one of the most common emergencies, especially among young surgeons, and usually these cases are operated on as an emergency, to prevent any morbidity that may arise, especially in children and the elderly. In this study, we compare the validity of the RIPASA score with the histopathology findings postoperatively as the gold standard for decision making in acute appendicitis. Objective: To assess the validity of the RIPASA score in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis using post-operative histopathology as the gold standard.Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted in the department of General Surgery in a tertiary teaching hospital for one year, in patients presenting with right lower quadrant pain, subsequently operated on as acute appendicitis. One hundred Patients were divided into two groups: group A with a RIPASA score less than 7.5 and group B with a RIPASA score more than 7.5. The data were analysed with a chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Results: This study comprises a total of 100 cases with a Male: Female sex ratio found to be 1.4:1. The mean age of found to be 28.93 ± 9.36 years. The sensitivity is 96.9%, the specificity of 81%, and the positive predictive value of 94% and negative predictive value of 84%, diagnostic accuracy of 95.14%. In this study, the rate of negative appendectomy was 15.7%. Conclusion: The RIPASA score with a minimum value of 7.5 is considered an easy, dependable, and convenient diagnostic tool in cases of right lower quadrant pain with minimal cost to the patients and aids in reducing negative appendectomy procedures.