title: Sonography of the normal appendix: its varied appearance and techniques to improve its visualization.
abstract: The sonographic identification of the normal appendix is crucial to the success of ultrasound as an effective screening method for diagnosing acute appendicitis. The normal appendix can be challenging to identify on sonography, however, because it is a narrow tubular structure and has variable sonographic appearances. Moreover, the tip of the appendix can be quite variable in location. In this article, we review the various sonographic appearances of the normal appendix and highlight strategies to improve its visualization.
authors.affiliation: From the *Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, †Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, and ‡Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ung
authors.forename: Stephanie T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: R Brooke
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
authors.forename: Bhavik N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Olcott
mesh_terms: D001065:Appendix / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*