The specificity and sensitivity of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute right lower quadrant pain in women of child bearing age

Objective: to assess the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in differentiating causes of acute right lower quadrant pain in women of child-bearing age by taking surgical outcome as the gold standard. methods: the descriptive analytical study was conducted at pns shifa hospital,karachi,from july to december 2008,and comprised female patients of child-bearing age who presented with acute right lower quadrant pain and underwent surgery after ultrasonography. spss 10 was used for statistical analysis. results: of the 75 patients,54(72%) patients were symptomatically and sonographically positive to have either acutely inflamed non-compressible appendix or focal fluid collection in right lower quadrant with normal pelvic viscera. sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 84% were calculated. conclusion: ultrasound had a sensitivity and specificity justifying its usage as a good diagnostic tool in emergency situations to avoid undue surgical interventions. © 2015,pakistan medical association. all rights reserved.