Abstract
BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the commonest surgical emergency in pediatric patients. Although the diagnosis is mainly clinical, imaging studies can be used to enhance diagnosis. Ultrasound is widely used as a screening tool because it is readily accessible in most centers, cost effective, and radiation free, but still there is a percentage of (equivocal study), so searching for secondary inflammatory sonographic signs may enhance the diagnosis. AIM OF STUDY: To assess the role of secondary sonographic signs in diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pediatric patients. PATIENTS & METHOD: This is a prospective study involved 187 patients (121 males, 66 females) done in Baghdad Medical city/ Children Welfare Teaching Hospital /Pediatric Surgery department between November 2018 and November 2019, all presented with abdominal pain mainly at right iliac fossa, patients sent for abdominal ultrasound, complete blood count, urinalysis, and histopathological examination of surgical specimens. RESULTS: Secondary signs have sensitivity of 53.7%, specificity of 80.0%, PPV of 97.9%, NPV of 8.9%, and accuracy of 55.1%. There is significant statistical difference in rate of detecting SS (p-value=0.038). CONCLUSION: Secondary signs have high specificity but fair or low sensitivity. Multiple secondary signs in one patient make the ultrasound more valuable in diagnosis.
Recommended Citation
Mousa, Khalid and Al-Kawaz, Shatha
(2023)
"The Role of Secondary Sonographic Signs in Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis in Pediatric Patients,"
Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal: Vol. 22:
Iss.
3, Article 6.
DOI: 10.52573/ipmj.2023.181133
Available at:
https://ipmj.researchcommons.org/journal/vol22/iss3/6
DOI
10.52573/ipmj.2023.181133