1. Is pelvic ultrasound useful in the clinical assessment and management of women with right iliac fossa pain? A single-centre retrospective study.
- Author
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Standing HR, Boag KF, Hamstead EC, Vaughan-Williams SR, Hughes MT, and Peckham-Cooper A
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Adult, Retrospective Studies, Middle Aged, Adolescent, Young Adult, Ovarian Cysts diagnostic imaging, Ovarian Cysts complications, Ovarian Cysts surgery, Abdominal Pain etiology, Abdominal Pain diagnostic imaging, Pelvis diagnostic imaging, Diagnosis, Differential, Ultrasonography, Appendicitis diagnostic imaging, Appendicitis surgery, Appendicitis complications, Pelvic Pain diagnostic imaging, Pelvic Pain etiology
- Abstract
Introduction: Acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain is a common presenting symptom in surgical patients, with a wide range of differentials, particularly in premenopausal females. This study explores ultrasound usage in the management of women aged 16-55 years presenting with RIF pain., Methods: A total of 1,082 patients who presented to a tertiary hospital over 12 months were included. Data were collected from patients' electronic records, including initial clinical impression, imaging, management, operative findings, histology and subsequent hospital attendances within 6 weeks and within 6 months., Results: Following clinical assessment, 607 (56%) of patients underwent an ultrasound. Of these, 280 (25.9%) patients received no radiological imaging on initial presentation, and 252 (42%) had pathology identified on ultrasound. The most common finding was an ovarian cyst, closely followed by unexplained free pelvic fluid. Of the 607 patients scanned, 29 (4.8%) had an ultrasound diagnosis of appendicitis; 254 of 1,082 (23.5%) patients underwent operative management. Of the 254 patients who had surgery, 179 (70.5%) had preoperative imaging. Of the 29 (11.4%) cases where the intraoperative finding was gynaecological, 15 (51.7%) cases had not had any preoperative imaging. The negative appendicectomy rate was 21.3% (45/211). Of the 45 patients who had a histologically normal appendix, 22 (48.9%) had not had any previous imaging. Ultrasound had a specificity of 78% for diagnosing appendicitis., Conclusions: In patients who underwent operative management, a negative finding or finding not requiring surgical management was associated with no preoperative imaging. This supports the use of ultrasound scans as an adjunct in a multimodal approach to the assessment of women presenting with RIF pain.
- Published
- 2024
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