Accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

Abstract

Acute appendicitis is the inflammatory process of the cecal appendix, resulting from obstruction of its light, caused by fecalite or rarely gallstones, foreign bodies, parasites, lymph nodes or neoplasms. In the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, there is indication for laboratory exams and also those of images, among them being able to cite ultrasonography. Many authors consider that ultrasonography could present a false impression of normal appendix when in fact, the inflammation is confined to its extremity beyond another disadvantage brought by some authors is to be an examiner-dependent examination. METHODS: a literature review was carried out, with articles dated between 2014 and 2018, in the databases of PubMed, Scielo, Lilacs, Google scholar, Medline, Cochrane bvs, Free Medical Journals. OBJECTIVE: Aiming to evaluate the accuracy of the ultrasound method in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. RESULTS: The use of the ultrasound method in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is still questioned and investigated, especially regarding its accuracy (sensitivity and specificity for the case), in contrast, several studies conducted in recent years, has demonstrated that the technological advancement and improvement of image quality led to an increase in these scores, thus making better the efficacy and precision of this method in this investigation. Ultrasonography has high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of several appendicular pathologies, and the direct visualization of the appendix is the most important criterion in the diagnosis. In acute appendicitis, the appendicular transverse diameter of > 6mm, it was one of the most sensitive and precise criteria. CONCLUSION: ultrasonography is an exam that presents high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.