Discriminating items in the questionnaire
| Gold standard ACNES n=68 | Prospective IBS n=64 | χ2 (p value) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACNES items: positive | Yes or mostly/regularly (%) | ||
| Pain is sharp (cutting) | 81 | 36 | <0.001 |
| For me pain dominates over discomfort | 83 | 45 | <0.001 |
| Pain is always located on the same spot(s) | 94 | 73 | 0.001 |
| Pain is located just lateral to the midline of the abdomen | 80 | 45 | <0.001 |
| The most intense pain can be localised by the tip of one finger | 91 | 48 | <0.001 |
| I believe the pain is originated just beneath the skin | 57 | 20 | <0.001 |
| Pain is provoked by daily activities (eg, walking, sitting, cycling, bending) | 80 | 33 | <0.001 |
| Lying on the affected side aggravates the pain | 57 | 13 | <0.001 |
| Pushing on the painful spot aggravates the complaints | 85 | 38 | <0.001 |
| Coughing, sneezing of squeezing aggravates the pain | 65 | 11 | <0.001 |
| The painful spot feels strange, different or dull | 54 | 16 | <0.001 |
| IBS items: negative | No or sometimes/never (%) | ||
| I believe the complaints originate from my gastrointestinal tract | 73 | 16 | <0.001 |
| Pain exists on different spots all over the abdomen | 86 | 53 | <0.001 |
| Complaints are somehow related to an altered defecation pattern | 99 | 36 | <0.001 |
| Stress provokes the complaints | 88 | 63 | 0.001 |
| I experience bloating or a feeling of gas in the intestines | 73 | 23 | <0.001 |
| The stool has an abnormal consistency (eg, hard and small, pencil thin, loose, watery) | 76 | 33 | <0.001 |
| I feel urgent need for bowel movement without producing stool (incomplete defecation) | 90 | 64 | <0.001 |
Translated from Dutch.
ACNES, anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome.