The value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis at Hai Phong Medical University Hospital

Abstract

Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency that can lead to serious complications if not diagnosed promptly. Ultrasonography serves as a pivotal diagnostic modality in the evaluation of acute appendicitis. Study objectives: Evaluation of the Diagnostic Value of Ultrasonography for Acute Appendicitis at Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 190 patients with clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis who underwent abdominal ultrasonography and subsequent postoperative histopathological confirmation. The mean age of the cohort was41.7 ± 18.3 years (38.4% male, 61.6% female). The most prevalent ultrasonographic features were the "finger-like" sign (97.4%), non-compressible appendix (96.3%), increased diameter (94.7%), intraluminal fluid (93.7%), and periappendiceal fat stranding (87.9%). Ultrasonography exhibited high diagnostic performance for acute appendicitis, yielding a sensitivity of 97.4% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%. In diagnosing appendiceal complications, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and negative predictive value (NPV) were 71.4%, 98.9%, 71.4%, and 98.9%, respectively.