Cucuzza ME, Sciacca TV, Cucuzza C, Di Stefano VA. Combining point-of-care ultrasound with physical examination in a pediatric emergency department of ovarian torsion: A case report. World J Clin Pediatr 2025; 14(3): 107858 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i3.107858]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Maria Elena Cucuzza, DM, Pediatric Unit and Pediatric Emergency Room, Emergency Hospital Cannizzaro, University of Catania, Via Messina 829, Catania 95100, Italy. me.cucuzza@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Pediatrics
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Pediatr. Sep 9, 2025; 14(3): 107858 Published online Sep 9, 2025. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i3.107858
Combining point-of-care ultrasound with physical examination in a pediatric emergency department of ovarian torsion: A case report
Maria Elena Cucuzza, Tiziana Virginia Sciacca, Claudia Cucuzza, Vita Antonella Di Stefano
Maria Elena Cucuzza, Pediatric Unit and Pediatric Emergency Room, Emergency Hospital Cannizzaro, University of Catania, Catania 95126, Italy
Tiziana Virginia Sciacca, Vita Antonella Di Stefano, Pediatric Unit and Pediatric Emergency Room, Emergency Hospital Cannizzaro, Catania 95126, Italy
Claudia Cucuzza, Department of Specialization School in Anesthesia and Resuscitation-Emergency, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery-Magna Graecia University UNICZ-Campus Universitario "Salvatore Venuta", Catanzaro 88100, Calabria, Italy
Co-first authors: Maria Elena Cucuzza and Tiziana Virginia Sciacca.
Author contributions: Cucuzza ME analyzed and interpreted the patient data, she conception and design, acquisition, drafting the article; Sciacca TV made the ultrasound
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Maria Elena Cucuzza, DM, Pediatric Unit and Pediatric Emergency Room, Emergency Hospital Cannizzaro, University of Catania, Via Messina 829, Catania 95100, Italy. me.cucuzza@gmail.com
Received: March 30, 2025 Revised: April 7, 2025 Accepted: May 8, 2025 Published online: September 9, 2025 Processing time: 79 Days and 1.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is the use of portable ultrasound devices by trained healthcare professionals to diagnose and monitor medical conditions directly at the patient's bedside, such as in emergency settings. We described a case where POCUS use, in Pediatric Emergency Department, allowed an early diagnosis and timely management in the surgical department, with a favorable outcome for child. Therefore we write this case because it is desirable to popularize ultrasound as the fifth pillar of clinical examination especially in Emergency Department
CASE SUMMARY
A 13-year-old girl with acute gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomit and abdominal and lumbar pains. Upon physical examination, the patient had localized abdominal pain in the left lower quadrant. Ultrasonography performed at the bedside revealed an enlarged left ovary with an irregular structure containing a 3 cm cyst. These findings raised suspicion of ovarian torsion. The child transferred to Gynecology Surgery Unit, where she was taken emergently to the operating room
CONCLUSION
It is desirable to spread POCUS in emergency settings where it allows a significant saving of time in patient management.
Core Tip: The use of point-of-care ultrasound in the Emergency Department enable early diagnosis and timely intervention, in a 13-year-old girl with ovarian torsion, presented with acute gastrointestinal symptoms, leading to a favorable outcome. This case supports the integration of bedside ultrasound as a fifth pillar of clinical examination, especially in the Emergency Department.
