Accuracy of RIPASA and Lintula Scores in Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis Using Surgical Findings as the Gold Standard

Background: Appendicitis is an inflammation of the vermiform appendix's inner lining that spreads to its other sections. Appendectomy is still the standard way to cure appendicitis. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis is still clinical and supported by a raised neutrophilic count and imaging studies; moreover, scoring systems, such as the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) and Lintula scores, help the clinicians in the diagnosis. The main objective of this study was to establish the diagnostic accuracy of RIPASA and Lintula scores for acute appendicitis using surgical findings as the gold standard, in an Asian population. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Department of Surgery, Mayo Hospital, Lahore, and Department of Surgery, Services Hospital, Lahore. This study was conducted from January 2020 to January 2022, for the duration of two years. A total of 120 patients were enrolled after meeting the inclusion criteria, and demographic data were obtained. Lintula and RIPASA scores were recorded, and patients were classified as positive or negative based on histopathological findings. IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to evaluate all of the gathered data. Results: The average age of the patients in this study was 37.39±14.36 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.14:1. Taking surgical finding as the gold standard, RIPASA scoring had a diagnosis accuracy of 91.67% while the Lintula score had a diagnostic accuracy of 79.17%. Conclusion: While both the RIPASA and the Lintula scoring systems were accurate, the RIPASA scoring system outperformed the Lintula scoring system when surgical findings were used as the gold standard.