Clinical Study
The Usefulness of Procalcitonin in the Diagnosis of Appendicitis in Children: A Pilot Study
Table 1
Demographics and clinical features.
| | Appendicitis | No appendicitis | Significance | | | | ( value) |
| Demographics | | | | Age: (Mean ± SD) | | | 0.68 | Sex: Male : Female | 17 : 12 | 5 : 16 | 0.023 | Race: Cauc: Hisp: Other | 7 : 1 : 1 | 1 : 2 : 5 | 0.052 | Symptoms | | | | Abdominal pain—Duration | | | 0.27 | Abdominal pain locations | | | | RLQ | 82% | 60% | 0.153 | LLQ | 4.5% | 0% | Both | 0% | 18% | Epigstric | 9% | 18% | Diffuse | 4.5% | 4% | Fever | 41% | 36% | 0.269 | Vomitting | 73% | 61% | 0.279 | Decreased appetite | 86% | 68% | 0.19 | Physical examination | | | | Temperature (oral) | | | 0.91 | RLQ tenderness | 100% | 93% | 0.49 | RLQ guarding | 59% | 36% | 0.15 | RLQ rebound | 68% | 32% | 0.02 | Bowel sound | 86% | 100% | 0.08 | Laboratory values | | | | WBC | | | 0.001 | ANC | | | 0.013 | Radiologic studies | | | | Abdominal CT (+AP) | 94% | 7% | 0.000 |
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