DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF ABDOMINAL ULTRASOUND IN INFLAMED ACUTE APPENDICITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common condition that presents with an acute abdomen needing emergency surgery. The reported proportion of missed diagnoses of appendicitis ranges between 20% and 40%. A delay or mis-diagnosis of appendicitis can result in severe complications such as perforation, abscess formation, sepsis, and intra-abdominal adhesions. The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of abdominal ultrasound in inflamed acute appendicitis. Methods: For this systematic review, publications that were published from 2015 to 2024 were taken into account during the search process. This was achieved through the utilization of numerous online reference sources, such as SagePub, Research Gate and google scholar. The decision was made to exclude review articles, previously published works, and incomplete works. Results: A total of 11,700 articles were retrieved from database searches. After removing 2,500 duplicates, 9,200 articles proceeded to screening. During the title and abstract review, 8,800 were excluded for not meeting inclusion criteria, leaving 400 for full-text assessment. After a detailed review, 390 were excluded due to issues like insufficient data, poor methodology, or lack of relevance. Ultimately, 10 high-quality studies were selected for the systematic review. Conclusion: This systematic review demonstrates the accuracy of sonography in diagnosing inflamed acute appendicitis. An ultrasound examination can be carried out quickly and with sufficient accuracy to determine whether a person can be diagnosed as a patient with appendicitis.