Minimal pelvic fluid in asymptomatic children: the value of the sonographic finding.

Objective: To determine the presence of minimal pelvic fluid in asymptomatic children who underwent abdominal sonography.

Methods: Between August 1999 and January 2001, we performed abdominal sonography in 396 asymptomatic children and 266 symptomatic children (acute and chronic abdominal pain). The 2 groups were evaluated for the presence of minimal fluid in the pelvis. All the children were divided into 4 subgroups according to age and sex.

Results: Minimal pelvic fluid was noted in 28 (7%) of the asymptomatic children, and it was more common in girls (10.2%), especially in girls between the ages of 5 and 15 years. On the contrary, no difference between the age groups was seen in boys. Minimal pelvic fluid was found in 76 (28.6%) of the symptomatic children, with no difference seen between the sexes or age groups. The presence of pelvic fluid was significantly greater in the symptomatic group than in asymptomatic group (P < .001).

Conclusions: Our data suggest that the presence of minimal pelvic fluid in children of all ages and both sexes is a physiologic finding and should be evaluated in the appropriate clinical context.