1Department of Radiology, Kangnam General Hospital Public Corporation, Korea. 2Department of Radiology, Choong-Ang Gill Hospital, Korea. 3Department of Radiology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Korea.
Published online: January 1, 2001.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To assess the clinical usefulness of color Doppler US compared to the gray-scale US in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. MATERIALS & METHODS: Two-hundred and two patients, clinically suspected to have appendicitis, were examined with gray-scale US and color Doppler US. Diagnostic criteria for appendicitis were dilated (6 mm < or = ), non-compressible appendix with or without periappendiceal abscess on gray-scale US, and increased vascularity in appendiceal wall and surrounding soft tissue on color Doppler US. RESULTS: Sixty nine patients had acute appendicitis, On gray-scale US, sensitivity was 89.1%; specificity 91.3%, and accuracy 90.5%. On color Doppler US, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 89.6, 88.2, and 88.6%, respectively. False negative cases were 12 on gray-scale US and 17 on color Doppler US. CONCLUSION: Color Doppler sonography shows the hypervascularity of appendix and surrounding soft tissue with inflammation, but its findings are not essential to a diagnosis of appencitis, and gray-scale US is enough for a diagnosis of appendicitis.
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