Ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of acute and chronic appendicitis in children

Abstract

Objective To investigate the value of ultrasonography in differential diagnosis children with acute or chronic appendicitis. Methods 98 children with appendicitis were randomly selected from our hospital from May, 2014 to May, 2016, and were examined by CT an ultrasound before surgery. The sensitivities in the diagnosis of acute and chronic appendicitis and in simple and non-simple appendicitis by these two methods were compared. Results In the diagnosis of non-simple appendicitis, the sensitivity by CT was 88.9%, and that by ultrasound 85.2%, with no statistical difference (P>0.05). In the diagnosis of chronic appendicitis, the sensitivity by CT was 75.0%, and that by ultrasonography 50.0%, with no statistical difference (P>0.05). In the diagnosis of simple appendicitis, the sensitivity by CT was significantly higher than that by ultrasound (89.3% vs. 50.0%, P<0.05). Conclusion Iconography is one of the important means in the diagnosis of children with acute or chronic appendicitis; and the diagnostic value of CT scanning is higher than that of ultrasound, but CT greatly increases the incidence of cancer in children. Therefore, the first choice for diagnosing acute and chronic appendicitis in children is ultrasonic, but if the ultrasound can not make a confirmation, CT detection is recommended. Key words: CT; Ultrasound; Appendicitis; Diagnosis