[Diagnostic scales for acute appendicitis in children].

Acute appendicitis, a common medical emergency, primarily affects children, and its diagnosis can be challenging. In addition to methods such as abdominal ultrasound, predictive clinical scales are used, such as the Alvarado scale and others, which categorize risk in pediatric patients. Given the lack of consensus on exact criteria, this review seeks to identify and analyze 22 prediction scales used in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children. The search was carried out according to the PRISMA guide, resulting in 73 articles selected from a total of 1521, with inclusion criteria focused on the pediatric population and integrated scales. The importance of predictive scales for appendicitis in children is highlighted, which incorporate clinical history, physical examination, laboratory and images to guide surgical intervention decisions. Among the most used worldwide were the Alvarado and Tzanakis scales, PAS and Heidelberg Appendicitis Score (HAS), designed specifically for pediatric patients.