Sonography of the acute abdomen in the pediatric patient.
OBJECTIVE
To review the causes and sonographic appearance of pathologic processes that result in abdominal pain in the pediatric patient and to understand the use and limitations of abdominal sonography in the acute pediatric abdomen.


METHODS
A pictorial review of cases is presented.


RESULTS
Sonography in conjunction with color and pulsed Doppler imaging is a valuable tool in the evaluation of the acute abdomen in the pediatric patient. This article reviews the use of sonography in the evaluation of the acute abdomen in the pediatric patient.


CONCLUSIONS
The causes of the acute abdomen in children vary depending on the ages of the children. Sonography is a noninvasive modality and is useful for assessing these patients.
Babcock
Diane S
DS
Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Ohio 45229-3039, USA.
D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed