American Journal of Oral Medicine and Radiology

ROLE OF ULTRASOUND SCANNING IN THE EVALUATION OF CLINICAL SUSPECTED ACUTE APPENDICITIS

Ashok kumar Kattimani* and Nagraj Mitra

ashok99m2805@gmail.com

Acute appendicitis, Color Doppler, Graded compression, McBurney’s point, Ultrasonography.

Objectives: To evaluate role of Ultrasonography in patients with clinically suspected acute appendicitis and its complications. Materials and Methods: One hundred twenty patients clinically suspected acute appendicitis underwent ultrasound examination using high-resolution transducers; linear array transducers of 7.5–10 MHz and curvilinear transducer of 3.5–5MHz. For the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, presence of signs like aperistaltic, noncompressible, blind-ended tubular structure with a diameter ≥6 mm in the right iliac fossa and in some other location and other sonographic findings such as the presence of appendicoliths, gas within the lumen of appendix and other indirect signs such as thickened echogenic mesentry, enlarged mesenteric lymphnode, loculated collections, and appendicular phlegmon in right lower abdomen were also considered. Results: Out of120 clinically suspected acute appendicitis, 100 cases were acute appendicitis on ultrasound, rest 20 cases were right lower ureteric calculi(5cases), right side hemorrhagic ovarian cyst(4cases), right side ectopic pregnancy(2cases), mesenteric lymphadenitis(5cases) and colitis (4 cases). Among 100 patients diagnosed of acute appendicitis on ultrasound 64 cases were seen in male patients and36 cases were seen in females. In our study the highest number of acute appendicitis cases were seen in the age group of 21-30years (46 %). Conclusion: Grayscale US should be the first primary evaluation for patient suspicious of acute appendicitis, and color Doppler is an additional modality to increase sensitivity and more accuracy. However the accuracy of sonography is highly operator dependant. This study demonstrates the classics clinical presentation of appendicitis with incorporation of sonographic findings to support the diagnosis.