Diagnostic performance of ultrasound in acute appendicitis

Background: acute appendicitis (AA) is the acute surgical abdominal disease more common in the Hospital Susana López de Valencia Popayán, Colombia; its diagnosis is one of the most common problems in emergency. Objective: to determined the operating performance of emergency ultrasound in suspected acute appendicitis. Methods: retrospective study conducted with data obtained from the first of January to 31 December 2011, including patients with presumed diagnosis of AA and abdominal ultrasound before surgery. Results: a total of 134 individuals who underwent surgery, with pre-procedure ultrasound report and pathology report. The performance of ultrasound resulted in a sensitivity of 73.2%, specificity 86.3%, positive predictive value of 96.4%, negative predictive value of 38.7%. Conclusion: the overall performance of abdominal ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in our hospital is acceptable. But its usefulness is poor in excluding the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Because of its accessibility and low cost is the best test available for diagnosis in doubtful cases in emergency or difficult diagnosis