Park NH, Oh HE, Park HJ, Park JY. Ultrasonography of normal and abnormal appendix in children. World J Radiol 2011; 3(4): 85-91 [PMID: 21532869 DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v3.i4.85]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Noh Hyuck Park, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Myongji Hospital, 697-24 Hwajung-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 412-270, South Korea. nhpark904@kwandong.ac.kr
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World J Radiol. Apr 28, 2011; 3(4): 85-91 Published online Apr 28, 2011. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v3.i4.85
Ultrasonography of normal and abnormal appendix in children
Noh Hyuck Park, Hwa Eun Oh, Hee Jin Park, Ji Yeon Park
Noh Hyuck Park, Hee Jin Park, Ji Yeon Park, Department of Radiology, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Myongji Hospital, 697-24 Hwajung-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 412-270, South Korea
Hwa Eun Oh, Department of Pathology, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Myongji Hospital, 697-24 Hwajung-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 412-270, South Korea
Author contributions: Park NH designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Park JY and ParK HJ reviewed the literature related to this study; Oh HE contributed to the pathologic review and illustrations of histologic findings.
Correspondence to: Noh Hyuck Park, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Myongji Hospital, 697-24 Hwajung-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 412-270, South Korea. nhpark904@kwandong.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-31-8107167 Fax: +82-31-8107173
Received: February 10, 2011 Revised: April 1, 2011 Accepted: April 8, 2011 Published online: April 28, 2011
Abstract
Appendicitis is the most common acute surgical emergency of childhood. Since the original report by Puylaert in 1986, the use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of appendicitis has been the subject of considerable study. Among the reported diagnostic criteria, the maximal outer diameter (MOD) of the appendix is accepted as the one of the most reliable criteria used to differentiate between a normal appendix and acute appendicitis. However, MOD measurement is subject to inaccuracies because luminal distention by non-compressible, non-inflammatory material such as fecal material, or increased maximal mural thickness due to reactive mucosal lymphoid hyperplasia, or a medical cause due to a generalized gastrointestinal disease, such as Crohn’s disease, can cause the measurement to exceed the upper limits of normality. The aim of this article is to introduce the spectrum of ultrasonographic findings in the normal and abnormal appendix and eventually to reduce unnecessary surgery in children.
