Comparison of the Siriraj stroke score and the Guy's hospital score in south India

Background: CT scan is an important tool in stroke management. Due to its poor availability, we need to look for a simple but reliable scoring system to differentiate the ischaemic from the haemorrhagic strokes in our country. Aim: To compare the effectiveness of the Siriraj stroke score and the Guy's hospital score for differentiating the ischaemic from the haemorrhagic strokes. Settings and Design: This study was conducted in a tertiary care centre in south India. This was a cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: The Siriraj stroke score and Guy's hospital score were applied to 100 stroke patients and their results were compared with the CT scan results. Statistics: The sensitivity, specificity and the positive and the negative predictive values for both the scores were calculated separately. The Mc Nemar test was then used to compare both the scores. Results: The Siriraj stroke score had a sensitivity and a specificity of 87.93% and 77.27% for ischaemic strokes and for the haemorrhagic strokes, they were 77.27% and 87.93%. The Guy's hospital score had a sensitivity and a specificity of 94.54% and 80% for ischaemic strokes and for the haemorrhagic strokes, they were 80% and 94.54%. The Mc Nemar test which was used to compare both the scores gave a value of X²=0.25 (p=0.61).This showed that there was no significant difference between the two scores in differentiating the ischaemic from the haemorrhagic strokes. Conclusion: There were no significant differences between the two scores when it came to differentiating the type of stroke. However, both the scores lacked the accuracy which was required for them to be applied and for guiding the physicians in stroke management.