Focused abdominal CT scan for acute appendicitis in children: Can it help in need?

Objective: to evaluate the focused abdominal ct scan [fact] in clinically equivocal cases of acute appendicitis in paediatric population.methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted at the radiology department of aga khan hospital, from august 2007 to november 2008.a total of 84 patients (42 males & 42 females) with clinically equivocal signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis referred to radiology department for ct evaluation were studied. ct findings were compared with histopathology and clinical follow-up.results: the sensitivity of focused ct for acute appendicitis was 91%; specificity was 69% and accuracy of 76% while ppv and npv were 58%, 94% respectively.conclusion: focused unenhanced ct is a quick, accurate and non invasive modality for the assessment of clinically equivocal cases of acute appendicitis for ruling out patients and reducing negative appendectomies.