The Role of Preoperative HALP Score in Differentiating Complicated Acute Appendicitis

Acute abdomen is a frequently encountered clinical condition that can be fatal if not diagnosed early. Acute appendicitis is one of the causes of acute abdomen and is the most common clinical condition leading to acute abdomen worldwide. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial. Delays in diagnosis can lead to the complication of appendicitis and an increase in its complications, further worsening the clinical picture and raising morbidity and mortality rates. In patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis, distinguishing between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis is vital for treatment planning. The evaluation of patients' laboratory and radiological findings are widely used methods in clinical practice for this differentiation. Recent studies have shown the HALP score has become a new prognostic biomarker in the literature, used to predict a range of clinical outcomes in various neoplasms. To date, the HALP score has been used to evaluate outcomes and prognosis in gastric, colorectal, bladder, prostate, and other cancers, as well as in many other diseases. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical impact of using the preoperatively calculated HALP score, derived from blood parameters, in the diagnosis, detection, and treatment of complicated acute appendicitis cases in the preoperative period without the need for additional diagnostic methods.