The use of clinician-performed ultrasonography to determine the treatment method for suspected paediatric appendicitis

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether the clinician-performed ultrasonography based on the specific criteria for paediatric appendicitis could decrease the negative appendectomy rate without treatment failure. Methods: The study was a retrospective review of paediatric patients with suspected appendicitis who presented at the emergency department of a teaching hospital over a period of 18 months. The clinicians performed the ultrasound and decided whether the patients with suspected appendicitis should be referred to surgery or managed conservatively. The determinative ultrasound criteria were the presence of periappendiceal fat infiltration and/or an obstructing appendicolith. Results: The 166 paediatric patients with suspected appendicitis underwent ultrasonography performed by clinicians on weekdays