title: Re-appraising the role of sonography in pediatric acute abdominal pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most pediatric emergency department (ED) visits are due to acute abdominal pain. Sonography is a reliable technique for differential diagnosis. The objective of this study was to re-appraise the role of sonography in evaluating acute abdominal pain in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of children aged <18 years with acute abdominal pain who visited the emergency department and underwent sonography between December 2004 and June 2006 was conducted. Patients with trauma were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  775 patients (478 males and 297 females, age 1-17 years; mean age 6±5.8 years) enrolled the study. Among 284 children with suspected appendicitis, 118 were diagnosed with appendicitis using sonography. Of 663 children without appendicitis, majority had gastrointestinal tract infection or non-specific abdominal pain. Other specific diagnoses were established by clinical, laboratory, and radiologic finings in 51 patients (including renal diseases in 20, intussusceptions in 15, gynecologic diseases in six, extra-abdominal disease in 4, and gastrointestinal tract abnormalities in 2). The sensitivity and specificity of sonography was 96.4% and 76.7%, respectively, for diagnosing appendicitis and 100% and 100%, respectively, for intussusception.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sonography remains a very effective, complementary, non-invasive method for evaluating children with acute abdominal pain, especially those with suspected appendicitis or intussusception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan ; College of Medicine, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Ching
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chien-Heng
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: Abdominal Pain; Children; Emergency; Ultrasound