DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF POINT-OF-CARE ULTRASOUND

Summary

This journal article focuses on the diagnosis of intussusception (INT), a common cause of bowel obstruction in young children. The study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) performed by novice sonographer pediatric emergency medicine physicians (PEM-Ps) who received training to diagnose INT.

In a prospective observational study, 17 PEM-Ps (including 14 attendings and 3 fellows) were trained to use abdominal ultrasound for diagnosing INT. POCUS was performed and interpreted by a PEM-P, followed by a formal ultrasound study performed by a certified ultrasonographer and interpreted by an attending pediatric radiologist. The study assessed the diagnostic agreement between the POCUS and radiology-performed ultrasound (RPUS) results.

The study included 100 patients with a median age of 24 months. The results showed excellent diagnostic agreement between PEM-Ps and RPUS, with 97% concordance. The sensitivity of POCUS for diagnosing INT was 89%, and the specificity was 98%. The positive predictive value was 80%, and the negative predictive value was 99%. The likelihood ratio for INT with a positive POCUS was 40.44, and with a negative POCUS was 0.11.

In conclusion, POCUS performed by novice sonographers for diagnosing INT demonstrated high diagnostic concordance with RPUS. The study suggests that POCUS is a rapid and accurate method for diagnosing INT in the emergency department, which can potentially lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for young children with this condition.

DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF POINT-OF-CARE ULTRASOUND

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