ULTRASONOGRAPHY

DIAGNOSTIC ROLE OF IN ACUTE ABDOMEN (NONGYNAECOLOGICAL CAUSES)

Abstract

) To determine the role of ultrasonography as the primary
imaging modality in patients of acute abdomen. (2) To evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative
predictive value of ultrasonography in acute abdomen. Design: A hospital based descriptive study. Setting: In
Combined Military Hospital Lahore which is a tertiary care hospital. Period: From 1 Jan 2003 to 30 Dec 2003. st
Subjects: A total of 100 consecutive patients of acute abdomen were selected for the study. There were 61 male
patients and 39 female patients. The patients’ age ranged from 02 years to 70 years. Ultrasonography was done using
ALOKA SSD-5500 machine with high resolution probes. Results: During my study of patients of acute abdomen most
common conditions encountered were renal colic due to renal and ureteric stones followed by gut perforation,
cholecystitis, appendicitis and cholelithiasis. My study revealed a sensitivity of 79.7% and specificity of 88.4% of
ultrasonography in patients with acute abdomen. The positive predictive value was 95.1% and a negative predictive
value was 60.5%. Conclusion: Ultrasonography helped in prompt decision making in most of the cases of acute
abdomen with a high sensitivity and specificity in skilled and experienced hands, as well as high positive predictive
value. Hence, in our setup it can be used as a primary imaging modality for patients presenting with acute abdomen
in any age group, as it is readily available, cost effective and free of any radiation hazards. Ultrasonography not only
helps in diagnosing the cause of pain but also ruling out other possibilities.