title: The current utility of ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current performance of ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Retrospectively, patients who presented to a single institution between 2011 and 2012 were included. Diagnostic accuracy was calculated, with surgery considered gold-standard. Our data demonstrates that US relative to surgery-confirmed appendicitis has a sensitivity and specificity of 48.4% and 97.9%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was further increased when there was a low pre-test probability, with a NPV of up to 96.6%. Ultrasound has a strong PPV in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, and in equivocal cases, the NPV is reliable.
authors.affiliation: St. Paul's Hospital, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. Electronic address: pdmlourenco@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lourenco
authors.affiliation: St. Paul's Hospital, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. Electronic address: jabro@telus.net.
authors.forename: Jacquie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: St. Paul's Hospital, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. Electronic address: JLeipsic@providencehealth.ca.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leipsic
authors.affiliation: St. Paul's Hospital, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. Electronic address: cjhague75@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hague
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abdominal pain; Acute appendicitis; Right-lower quadrant tenderness; Sonography; Ultrasound