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A blood test that could rule out appendicitis in children would decrease radiation exposure and improve clinical efficiency. In an industry-sponsored prospective study, investigators quantified the accuracy of a biomarker panel for ruling out appendicitis in 1887 patients aged 2 to 20 years presenting to 29 U.S. emergency departments with abdominal pain.
Patients with a high likelihood of having appendicitis by clinical gestalt were excluded. The biomarker panel comprised white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, and myeloid-related protein 8/14 level. Appendicitis was the final diagnosis in 25.3% of patients. A negative result for the biomarker panel had a negative predictive value for appendicitis of 97.4%.