Purpose or Case Report: Ultrasound Diagnosis of Perforated Appendicitis in Pediatric Patients. Acute appendicitis is the most common condition requiring emergency surgery in children. In a pediatric setting, it is common for clinicians to request an ultrasound as the imaging modality of choice when there is a clinical concern for appendicitis. Therefore, it is important to differentiate a perforated appendicitis from a nonperforated appendicitis. Treatment of nonperforated appendicitis requires immediate surgical intervention while perforated appendicitis can be managed conservatively. Our purpose is to describe the sonographic appearance of a perforated appendicitis. We will characterize the two main appearances of perforated appendicitis seen on ultrasound. These appearances include: 1.) Visualization of the appendix with loss of the echogenic submucosal layer, the presence of an intraluminal appendicolith, or a large amount of periappendiceal echogenic fat. 2.) Non-visualization of the appendix but the sonographic appearance of an abscess formation can be associated with perforation. Read More

Meeting name: SPR 2017 Annual Meeting & Categorical Course , 2017

Authors: Tomlinson Amanda, Lowe Nicole

Keywords: perforated appendicitis