Der Chirurg; Zeitschrift für alle Gebiete der operativen Medizen
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Between October 1988 and July 1989 100 consecutive patients with suspected appendicitis were seen at the surgical clinic, University Hospital of Aachen. All patients underwent ultrasonographic examination corresponding to a prospective study protocol in order to determine the value of ultrasound for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The sonographic findings were correlated with the histologic diagnosis or the clinical course, respectively. ⋯ The predictive value of a positive test was 97% and the predictive value of a negative finding was 46%. The morphologic changes during the progress of inflammation of the appendix and their sonographic visualisation were discussed. A differentiated concept was developed to integrate the sonographic findings in the therapeutic decision.