ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Chirurgia 2022 February;35(1):11-4

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.20.05239-0

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Discovering the true accuracy of ultrasonography in the confirmation of diagnosis of acute appendicitis, a world-wide dilemma

Mahmoud M. AL AWAYSHEH ¹ ✉, Sami S. ALI ², Batool M. AL-AWAYSHEH ³, Taima’a M. AL-AWAYSHEH ⁴

¹ Department of surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Al Karak Teaching Hospital, Mutah University, Kerak, Jordan; ² Unit of Epidemiology, Department of Data Management, Amman, Jordan; ³ Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; ⁴ Hashemite University, Amman, Jordan

BACKGROUND: In about 10% of Western populations happens acute appendicitis. The ratio of female-male is nearly 1:2 and after 25 years of age it gradually decrease until the equal sex ratio. Appendectomy takes almost 1% of all surgical procedures. The rates of negative appendectomy are growing. Some of the important factors that play a great role in this, like clinical evaluation that is not specific, and absence of readily available techniques permit direct visualization of the appendix. We need an effective method to confirm the diagnosis of genuine acute appendicitis to eliminate the problem of increasing negative appendectomies. This study was held to evaluate and estimate the efficacy of ultrasound in the confirmation of diagnosis of acute appendicitis in clinically suspected cases of acute appendicitis. Moreover, it is important to compare ultrasound results with surgical results.
METHODS: In this research we involved a total of 100 patients who were admitted at the Department of Surgery of the Al-Karak Teaching Hospital, Mutah University, from January 2014 to December 2015 and surmised to have acute appendicitis. It was used the technique of abdominal-pelvic sonography with focus on the right lower quadrant graded compression ultrasonography. The clinical operative and histopathological findings were prospectively correlated with sonography data.
RESULTS: Results of graded compression ultrasonography were analyzed and showed 93% accuracy, 94.5% specificity, 92.7% sensitivity, negative predictive value: 92.5% and positive predictive value: 94.4%.
CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonography is a safe and a reliable method in the diagnosis of suspected cases of acute appendicitis because it has a higher degree of exactness. Its use can help to minimize perforation rates, negative appendectomies and medical costs on patients. In conclusion of our study, we can end this worldwide problem.

KEY WORDS: Appendicitis; Ultrasonography; Jordan