DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF SONOGRAPHY IN MESENTERIC ADENITIS IN PEADATRIC AGE GROUP AND ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE.

Abstract

Background: Acute abdominal pain is one of the most common yet challenging complaints in children, often presenting as a diagnostic dilemma. Most patients with abdominal pain have self-limited conditions.The most common medical cause is mesenteric lymphadenitis and the most common surgical problem is appendicitis. Mesenteric adenitis is usually viral in origin and has self limiting course. Our aim was to establish a criteria for diagnosis of mesenteric adenitis in symptomatic patients. Material and Method; Cross sectional study performed on 130 patients and 100 controls group case. Presence of enlarged lymph nodes of 5 -8mm in the shortest dia Results; meter were noted in 80% (n=64) of the patients and in 78% (n=78) of control group. Enlarged abdominal lymph nodes of 8-10mm mm were detected in 40% (n=32) of the patients and 48% (n=48) of controls. Nodes larger than 10 mm were detected in 30% (n=24) of the patients and 11% (n=11) in controls . Differences between the groups were statistically signicant only for lymph nodes of 10 mm and larger in the shortest diameter (P < 0.05). The absolute Conclusion; generalization of enlarged mesenteric nodes should only be taken clinically signicant in a symptomatic patient with nodes greater than 10 mm in short axis diameter favoring more towards mesenteric lymphadenitis