Diagnostic Validity and Reliability of Ultrasound in Pediatric Appendicitis

Armas Alvarez AL, Osorio Manyari AA , Bautista Casasnovas AL and Leis Trabazo MR

Department of Urology, Complejo Hospitalario de Don Benito-Villanueva de la Serena, Spain Department of Surgery, Complejo Hospitalario de Don Benito-Villanueva de la Serena, Spain Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostel, Spain

^*Correspondance to: Azucena Lirio Armas Alvarez 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.2966

Abstract

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical cause of abdominal pain in children. Its clinical diagnosis is difficult. Ultrasound has proven useful for the diagnosis of this pathology. Purpose: To determine the validity and reliability of ultrasound in acute appendicitis in children. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a cohort of children younger than 15 years old with acute abdominal pain who underwent abdominal ultrasound for suspected acute appendicitis. To estimate the diagnostic validity and reliability of the ultrasound we used the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and the Kappa coefficient. Results: Of the 353 patients, 183 were boys and 170 were girls, whose average age was 9.8 years. Ultrasound diagnosed appendicitis in 143 patients. 154 appendectomies were performed, of which 92 were uncomplicated appendicitis and 62 were complicated appendicitis. The appendicular perforation rate was 25%. The pathological diagnosis of appendicitis occurred in 147 children. The negative appendectomy percentage was 4.5%. The ultrasound showed sensitivity: 85%, specificity: 90%, diagnostic accuracy: 88% and Kappa coefficient: 0.8, p0.05. Kappa coefficient was 0.8 in preschoolers, 0.8 in schoolchildren and 0.6 in adolescents, p

Keywords

Acute appendicitis; Abdominal ultrasound; Children; Diagnostic reliability; Validity

Cite the article

Armas Alvarez AL, Osorio Manyari AA, Bautista Casasnovas AL, Leis Trabazo MR. Diagnostic Validity and Reliability of Ultrasound in Pediatric Appendicitis. Clin Surg. 2020; 5: 2966..