A Comparative Study of Tzanakis Score and Alvarado Score in Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis

Background: Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. Mostly the pain begins around the belly button and then radiates towards the lower right abdomen. The clinical presentation of acutely inflamed Appendix can vary significantly due to the diverse degrees of inflammatory involvement, different appendix positions, and varying patient ages. Various scoring systems have been employed to identify health issues, yielding positive results by providing accurate information about individuals’ health. Alvarado score and Tzanakis scoring system are extensively studied. The above study was conducted to compare the Alvarado score and Tzanakis score for the effective diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Methodology: The study was conducted on 111 patients at a tertiary care centre fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings were recorded on a designated form, and scores were calculated. For the Alvarado Score, a score of 7 or more out of 10 was considered indicative of acute appendicitis, while for the Tzanakis Score, a score of 8 or more out of 15 was considered as such. Results: The Alvarado Score demonstrated 78% sensitivity, 81.82% specificity, 97.50% positive predictive value (PPV), 29.03% negative predictive value (NPV), and 78.38% overall accuracy. In contrast, the Tzanakis Score showed higher sensitivity at 88%, similar specificity at 81.82%, 97.78% PPV, 42.86% NPV, and 87.39% overall accuracy. Conclusion: The Tzanakis Score showed superior sensitivity and overall accuracy compared to the Alvarado Score as its p-value is less than Alvarado score, which suggests that it is more effective in correctly identifying appendicitis cases, especially true positives.