Ultrasonography in the management of acute appendicitis

Background: Ultrasonography (US) shows promise in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Methods: The authors present their own experience in ultrasonography (US) employed in the diagnosis of appendicitis, based on 40 patients admitted to the Department of Surgery of the University of Perugia. Results: US was found to be easily obtainable and reliable; it had good specificity and sensitivity, was not very time consuming, and had a good cost/benefit ratio. Conclusions: The authors believe US is an important diagnostic tool that can reduce useless laparotomies for false acute appendicitis, particularly in cases presenting with unclear clinical findings.