Accuracy of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio for diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children: A diagnostic study

Abstract Background Many biomarkers for diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children have been reported, however, the results are still controversial. We assessed the accuracy of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for diagnosis of acute appendicitis and discriminating simple and complicated appendicitis in children. Methods We included 121 patients with acute appendicitis and 49 children with intussusception as controls who were admitted at our hospital from 2013 to 2017. White blood count (WBC), neutrophil, and NLR were compared between groups. Results Neutrophil and NLR were significantly higher in the acute appendicitis group than control (76.17 ± 14.41 vs. 62.43 ± 15.9%, p= Conclusion NLR shows a high accuracy for diagnosis of acute appendicitis and distinguishing a complicated appendicitis from the simple one.