Keywords:
Abdomen, Emergency, Ultrasound, Diagnostic procedure, Acute
Authors:
L. Barnsley, L. McLeod, A. Dawood, S. Kashmoola, J. McGill, N. Kutaiba
DOI:
10.26044/ranzcr2022/R-0030
Purpose
Appendicitis is one of the most common emergency presentations in Australia[1]. Diagnostic ultrasound is the imaging modality of choice in young patients with suspected appendicitis due to its accessibility and lack of ionising radiation[2]. The limitation of ultrasound is the variability of its diagnostic performance, with a wide range of sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound for appendicitis reported in the literature[3]. The variability of diagnosis can be due to a number of factors including operator expertise and body habitus of the patient. The rate of negative appendicectomy in Australia is reported as 21–24%, therefore imaging plays a significant role to provide an accurate diagnosis prior to surgery[4,5]. The aim of this audit is to determine the diagnostic performance of ultrasound in the diagnosis of appendicitis, with comparison to surgical findings and clinical follow-up, in patients presenting with a clinical suspicion of appendicitis.