Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III Scale as a Screening Tool for Cognitive Impairment in Surgical Population: Validity and Reliability of the Culturally Adapted Greek Version

Postoperative neurocognitive disorders, including postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperaive cognitive dysfunction (POCD), are common complications of perioperative neurocognition in elderly patients undergoing surgery. POD and POCD have short- and long-term consequences, such as increased hospital stays and costs, augmented morbidity and mortality, as well as higher risk for cognitive decline later in life. Therefore, early prevention and diagnosis of these conditions is of great importance.

A number of psychometric tests have been proposed as cognitive screening tools. Given the fact that many of them show weaknesses and difficulties in performance, scientists have sought for more useful alternatives. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is considered to be a good choice, as it has been successfully applied in the perioperative setting. What's more, it has been translated and validated for a Greek population with neurological disorders. Addenbrooke's Congnitive Examination III (ACE III) has been introduced recently into clinical practice. It is an easy to perform and detailed test that covers several neurocognitive domains and has shown high sensitivity and specificity in clinical conditions, including dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Although current literature lacks data concerning its perioperative use, ACE III could prove useful for screening patients undergoing surgery and anesthesia on the basis of its favorable characteristics as mentioned above.

The aim of this study is to translate the ACE III (English version 2012) into Greek and assess its validity in perioperative patients aged >55 years.