<p>Appendix</p><p>Example of the Data abstraction form for Ultrasound and Computer Tomography</p><p>Systematic review of tests for appendicitis</p><p>Reviewer Paper number Author and year Journal</p><p>Selection criteria Population suspected appendicitis yes/no Intervention ultrasound yes/no CT yes/no Ultrasound and CT yes/no</p><p>Reference standard yes/no 2x2 table construction possible yes/no</p><p>Select this study yes/no if no specify reason below</p><p>If reliability study (observer agreement) or effectiveness (RCT) studies, then collect separately</p><p>DATA RETRIEVAL Population Study design cohort/ cross-sectional/ case-control/ other (describe) Data Collection prospective/ retrospective/ unreported/ other (describe) Patient enrolmentconsecutive/ arbitrary/ unreported/ other (describe)</p><p>Setting hospital yes/no University yes/no Country</p><p>1 Blinding Did the person, which decided to operate or not, knew the result of the examination? Yes no not mentioned</p><p>Was the pathologist (reference test) blinded? Yes no not mentioned</p><p>Was there a blinded interpretation of the test after the result of the reference test was known? Yes no not mentioned</p><p>Number of patients recruited A original population n = B pre-enrolment exclusion n = Reasons C actually recruited (A-B) n = D post enrolment exclusions n = Reasons E analyzable data (C-D) n =</p><p>Completeness of follow up (5) >90/ 81- 90/ < 81 (FU% = E/C x 100% = %) Gender female n = male n =unreported Age mean SD range……to…….</p><p>Intervention Description of variables adequate/not adequate</p><p>Procedures performed by 1 2 3 4 5 >5 persons</p><p>2 Technical details of the procedure for US</p><p>MHz (Megahertz) Yes 3.5 MHz 5 MHz 5 – 7.5 MHz 7.5Technique MHz Yes NotGraded mentioned compression technique Other(Puylaert)</p><p>Harmonic imaging</p><p>Not mentioned</p><p>Experience of the examinator: Yes Experience 1-5 Years > 5 Years Not mentioned</p><p>Criteria:</p><p>Positive for Appendicitis: 1. Outer diameter > 6mm Yes/No 2. Blindended, tubular structure Yes/No 3. Appendicolith in the appendix Yes/No 4. Aperistaltic and noncompressible Yes/No 5. (Target Phenomena) Yes/No 6. Lymph nodes Yes/No </p><p>3 Reference Standard Method operation n = % Follow up n = %</p><p>Result Histology shows positive result n = Perforation or abscess n = Negative appendectomies n = % Information about differences in the false rate dependent on genderyes/no</p><p>Result of pr changed patient management not mentioned</p><p>To operate n = Not to operate n = Other (specify) n =</p><p>Selection and execution</p><p>1. In light of current technology, was the reference standard chosen appropriate to verify test results? Yes/No 2. Is it possible that a change in the technology of the index test has occurred since this paper was published? Yes/No 3. Was there an abnormally long time period between the performance of the test under evaluation and the confirmation of the diagnosis with the reference standard? Yes/No 4. Was the execution of the index test described in sufficient detail to permit replication of the test? Yes/No 5. Was the execution of the reference test described in sufficient detail to permit replication of the test? Yes/No 6. Did the whole sample, or a random selection of the sample, receive verification using a gold standard of diagnosis? Yes/No 7. Did all patients receive the same reference test regardless of the index test result? Yes/No 8. Were the results of the index test incorporated in the results of the reference test? Yes/No 9. Was the cut-off value pre-specified or acceptable in light of previous research? Yes/No 10. Was treatment started based on the knowledge of the index test results before the reference standard was applied? Yes/No</p><p>Analysis</p><p>1. Was a measure of precision of the results presented (confidence intervals, standard errors)? Yes/No 2. Was the threshold value specified retrospectively based on analysis of the results? Yes/No</p><p>Research Planning</p><p>1. Was an appropriate sample size calculation performed and were sufficient patients included in the study? Yes/No</p><p>4 Outcome: </p><p>Appendicitis</p><p>Reference: Histology  Append present Append absent Total Sonogaphy  Positive Equivocal Negative Total</p><p>Reference: Histology  Append present Append absent Total CT  Positive Equivocal Negative Total</p><p>Reference: Histology  Append present Append absent Total ……………  Positive Equivocal Negative Total</p><p>Reference: Histology  Append present Append absent Total …………  Positive Equivocal Negative Total</p><p>5 Search strategies MEDLINE (Ovid® Version) 1966-2002</p><p>Search Records Request 1 8548 "Appendicitis"/ all subheadings 2 3064 Appendix/all subheadings 3 11034 (appendix or appendicitis or appendiceal ) in ti,ab 4 4686 appendectomy/all subheadings 5 21272 laparoscopy/all subheadings 6 747712 explode diagnostic imaging/ all subheadings 7 1726 Endosonography/ all subheadings 8 24818 endoscopy/all subheadings 9 31332 ultrasonography/ all subheadings 10 3170 Interventional ultrasonography/all subheadings 11 31332 Ultrasonic diagnosis/all subheadings 12 30615 explode ultrasonics/all subheadings 13 86608 explode magnetic resonance spectroscopy/all subheadings 14 223778 explode tomography/all subheadings 15 9540 "Diagnosis-Computer-Assisted"/ all subheadings 16 20301 Radionuclide imaging/all subheadings 17 7713 Radiopharmaceuticals/all subheadings 18 10133 Radiography/all subheadings 19 37700 Leukocyte count/all subheadings 20 2955 Leukocytosis/all subheadings 21 2575 Inflammation mediators/all subheadings 22 27385 Body temperature/all subheadings 23 9740 Medical history taking/all subheadings 24 15074 Physical examination/all subheadings 25 475 Observation/all subheadings 26 156 Diagnostic techniques and procedures [searched Methods] /all subheadings 27 77 Laboratory tests and procedures [searched Methods] /all subheadings 28 1270 "Diagnostic-Techniques-Surgical"/ all subheadings 29 9540 Computer assisted diagnosis/all subheadings 30 1164 computer assisted decision making/all subheadings 31 3493 decision support techniques/all subheadings 32 215531 Differential diagnosis/all subheadings 33 2608 Routine diagnostic tests/all subheadings 34 7642 (Echograph* or echotomograph*) in ti,ab 35 3450 (Appendectomy or appendectomies or appendicectomy or appendicectomies)in ti,ab 36 26266 Laparoscop* in ti,ab 37 53086 (Endoscopy or endoscopic) in ti,ab 38 7642 (Echograph* or echotomograph*)in ti,ab 39 97472 (Ultrasound or ultrasonograph* or ultrasonic) in ti,ab 40 100926 (Radiograph* or radiology or radiologic) in ti,ab 41 92548 (Radionuc* or x-ray or x ray or nuclear scan* or radiopharmaceutic*) in ti,ab 42 81358 ((nmr or mr or mri or ct) near1 (spectroscop* or scan* or imag* or tomograph* or chemical shift)) in ti,ab 43 164550 (magnetic resonance or tomograph* or fmri or scintigraph*) in ti,ab 44 5447 (inflammat* near1 (mediator* or variable* or marker*)) in ti,ab 45 93199 (white cell count* or white blood cell count* or wcc or wbc or leucocyt* or leukocyt*) in ti,ab 46 8606 (c-reactive protein* or crp) in ti,ab 47 140269 (temperature or ma) in ti,ab 48 15252 (diagnos* near10 imaging) in ti,ab 49 32909 ((physical or clinical) near1 (examination or assessment*)) in ti,ab 50 1358329 (observation* or observe* or observing or sign or signs or symptom*) in ti,ab 51 59939 (Diagnos* near5 (tests or test or score* or aid* or tool* or procedure*)) in ti,ab 52 14228 ((decision* or diagnos*) near3 technique*) 53 6584 misdiagnos* in ti,ab 54 57 ((Negative near1 appendi*) or (missed near1 appendi*)) in ti,ab 55 5377 Scoring system* in ti,ab 56 45 Alvarado in ti,ab 57 14389 #1 or #2 or #3 58 944538 #4 or #5 or #6 or #7 or #8 or #9 or #10 or #11 or #12 or #13 or #14 or #15 or #16 or #17 or #18 or #19 or #20 59 64178 #21 or #22 or #23 or #24 or #25 or #26 or #27 or #28 or #29 or #30 60 472865 #31 or #32 or #33 or #34 or #35 or #36 or #37 or #38 or #39 or #40 61 1830676 #41 or #42 or #43 or #44 or #45 or #46 or #47 or #48 or #49 or #50 or #51 or #52 or #53 62 1834159 #41 or #42 or #43 or #44 or #45 or #46 or #47 or #48 or #49 or #50 or #51 or #52 or #53 or #54 or #55 or #56 63 2676924 #58 or #59 or #60 or #61 64 8106 #57 and #63 65 1297840 explode neoplasms/all subheadings 66 257957 explode carcinoma/all subheadings 67 7021 explode carcinoid tumor/all subheadings 68 1305503 #65 or #66 or #67 69 6575 #64 not #68 70 3191781 animal in tg 71 7353285 human in tg 72 2503952 #70 not (#70 and #71) 73 6372 #69 not #72 74 1008378 case-report in tg 75 4638 #73 not #74 76 4638 #73 not #74</p><p>6</p>