Ultrasonography in acute appendicitis.

Although the disease is common, the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis remains difficult. Since the indications for surgery are imprecise, greater diagnostic accuracy depends on the development of other methods for detection of inflammatory changes in the appendix. During eight months, high-resolution ultrasonography (US) was used for the evaluation of 37 patients with clinically suspected appendicitis. The US findings were confirmed by surgery or pathology and clinical follow-up. With a sensitivity of 0.87, a specificity of 0.95, and an accuracy of 0.92, high-resolution US is a valuable adjunct in the evaluation of appendicitis.