Standardized reporting of appendicitis-related findings improves reliability of ultrasound in diagnosing appendicitis in children.

Purpose: Our objective was to increase ultrasound reliability for diagnosing appendicitis in an academic children's hospital emergency department (ED) through a multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative.

Methods: A retrospective review of ultrasound use in patients diagnosed with appendicitis in our ED from 1/1/2011 to 6/30/2014 established a baseline cohort. From 8/1/2014 to 7/31/2015 a diagnostic algorithm that prioritized ultrasound over CT was used in our ED, and a standardized template was implemented for the reporting of appendicitis-related ultrasound findings by our radiologists.

Thoracoscopic decortication vs tube thoracostomy with fibrinolysis for empyema in children: a prospective, randomized trial.

Purpose: Management of empyema has been debated in the literature for decades. Although both primary video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and tube thoracostomy with pleural instillation of fibrinolytics have been shown to result in early resolution when compared to tube thoracostomy alone, there is a lack of comparative data between these modes of management. Therefore, we conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing VATS to fibrinolytic therapy in children with empyema.