emDocs - October 6, 2015 - By Alerhand S - Edited by Koyfman A
Benefits of Ultrasound for Appendicitis
- Avoidance of ionizing radiation
- More readily available and cheaper than CT
- Quicker than CT (which in many institutions requires a 2+ hour contrast drinking period, which patients often do not tolerate anyway)
- Faster diagnostic time for Surgeons, who can take patient to OR
Challenges
- Lesser diagnostic capability on adults and larger children
- Excellent specificity to “rule in”, but only moderate sensitivity to “rule out”, thus the patient may end up needing a CT anyway
- Convincing your hospital’s Surgical team to “buy in” to the idea of appendicitis diagnosis via ultrasound
- Training emergency physicians in bedside ultrasound for appendicitis rather than having it be performed by the radiology tech or resident
http://www.emdocs.net/ultrasound-for-appendicitis/