1Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, College of Medicine Sung Kyun Kwan University, Korea. 2Department of Emergency medicine, Samsung Medical Center, College of Medicine Sung Kyun Kwan University, Korea.
Published online: January 1, 2001.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of self-localization tehnique in detecting an inflamed appendix at ultrasound (US) examination. MATERIALS & METHODS: At the beginning of appendix US examination, patients were asked to localize the maximal tender point with the tip of a finger. The distance between the self-localization point and an inflamed appendix depicted on US was estimated as follows: less than 1cm, 1-3cm, 3-5cm, and more than 5cm. During a recent 13 month-period, 358consecutive patients underwent appendix US. Among 97 patients who were diagnosed as having acute appendicitis on US, 46 patients (M:F=27:19, age range=18-70 years, mean age=39 years) with pathologic diagnosis of acute appendicitis at our institute were finally included. The reasons for exclusion were transfer to other hospitals (n=15), hemorrhagic ovarian cysts without an evidence of primary appendicitis proved by surgery (n=2), no application of self-localization due to patients' poor cooperation (n=20), or no record of the results of self-localization (n=14). RESULTS: The self-localization point was located in right lower quadrant of the abdomen in 41 patients, mid-pelvis in two, left lower quadrant of the abdomen in two, and right upper quadrant of the abdomen in one. Of total 46 inflamed appendices, Thirty-eight (82.6%) were found to locate within 1cm, four (8.7%) were within 1-3cm, two (3.3cm) were within 3-5cm and the remaining two (3.3%) were farther than 5cm from the self-localization point. CONCLUSION: Self-localization technique is a simple and an accurate method in detecting an inflamed appendix.
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