A comparison of the Accuracy of Ultrasound and Computed Tomography in common diagnoses causing acute abdominal pain

Abstract

Objectives Head-to-head comparison of ultrasound and CT accuracy in common diagnoses causing acute abdominal pain. Materials and methods Consecutive patients with abdominal pain for >2 h and p < 0.01) and 81% versus 61% (p = 0.048), respectively. For cholecystitis, the sensitivity of both was 73% (p = 1.00). Positive predictive values did not differ significantly between ultrasound and CT for these conditions. Ultrasound sensitivity in detecting appendicitis and diverticulitis was not significantly negatively affected by patient characteristics or reader experience. Conclusion CT misses fewer cases than ultrasound, but both ultrasound and CT can reliably detect common diagnoses causing acute abdominal pain. Ultrasound sensitivity was largely not influenced by patient characteristics and reader experience.