• Ertuğrul Altuğ, Kemal Şener, Adem Çakir, Zeynep Betül Erdem, Gökhan Eyüpoğlu, and Ramazan Güven.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. ertugrulaltug42@gmail.com.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2023 Jun 1; 192 (3): 147314791473-1479.

BackgroundAcute appendicitis (AA) is a common cause of abdominal pain resulting in admission to the emergency room. Imaging methods such as ultrasonography and CT are usually used for diagnosing acute appendicitis. Reports regarding CT scans conducted during night shifts are prepared by private teleradiologists.AimsThe aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound performed by an emergency medicine specialist and private teleradiologists in the diagnosis of AA.MethodsThis study was conducted prospectively and in a single center in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital. Patients who were admitted to the study between 15.09.2020 and 15.09.2021 and were diagnosed with AA who met the study criteria were included. A total of 134 patients diagnosed with AA, who met the inclusion criteria, out of 158 operated patients were included in the study.ResultsIn the study, 77 were male and 57 were female. The mean age of patients with histopathologically positive AA was 31 and 31.5 in negative patients. The sensitivity and specificity of POCUS performed by the emergency physician and private teleradiology for the diagnosis of AA were 78.4% and 59.3% and 58.8% and 53.1%, respectively.ConclusionsPOCUS performed by an emergency medicine specialist showed a higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of AA compared with private teleradiology. Hence, POCUS is more successful in diagnosing AA than private teleradiology. In conclusion, we recommend the concurrent use of AS and POCUS in emergency departments rather than private teleradiology for the diagnosis of AA.© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

17 keywords...

hide…