Systemic immune-inflammation index combined with pediatric appendicitis score in assessing the severity and prognosis for paediatric appendicitis

Abstract

BACKGROUND Pediatric appendicitis is a common cause of abdominal pain in children and is recognized as a significant surgical emergency. A prompt and accurate diagnosis is essential to prevent complications such as perforation and peritonitis. AIM To investigate the predictive value of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) combined with the pediatric appendicitis score (PAS) for the assessment of disease severity and surgical outcomes in children aged 5 years and older with appendicitis. METHODS Clinical data of 104 children diagnosed with acute appendicitis were analyzed. The participants were categorized into the acute appendicitis group and chronic appendicitis group based on disease presentation and further stratified into the good prognosis group and poor prognosis group based on prognosis. The SII and PAS were measured, and a joint model using the combined SII and PAS was constructed to predict disease severity and surgical outcomes. RESULTS Significant differences were observed in the SII and PAS parameters between the acute appendicitis group and chronic appendicitis group. Correlation analysis showed associations among the SII, PAS, and disease severity, with the combined SII and PAS model demonstrating significant predictive value for assessing disease severity [aera under the curve (AUC) = 0.914] and predicting surgical outcomes (AUC = 0.857) in children aged 5 years and older with appendicitis. CONCLUSION The study findings support the potential of integrating the SII with the PAS for assessing disease severity and predicting surgical outcomes in pediatric appendicitis, indicating the clinical utility of the combined SII and PAS model in guiding clinical decision-making and optimizing surgical management strategies for pediatric patients with appendicitis.