The Usefulness of Procalcitonin in the Diagnosis of Appendicitis in Children: A Pilot Study

Table 1

Demographics and clinical features.

	Appendicitis	No appendicitis	Significance
	𝑁=22	𝑁=28	(𝑃 value)
Demographics
Age: (Mean ± SD)	11.25±3.13	10.78±3.32	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	40±32	25±5	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)	99.1±1.84	98.7±1.3	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	15.5±5.0	10.57±4.4	0.001
ANC	12789±5872	7636±4527	0.013
Radiologic studies
Abdominal CT (+AP)	94%	7%	0.000