Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of ultrasound in the diagnosis of primary epiploic appendagitis.
Method and Materials: For 5 years period, 45 patients was diagnosed as primary epiploic appendagitis in our hospital. We retrspectively reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of the ultrasound in comparison with the CT. We included the patients in whom inital diagnosis by US and follow up confirmation by CT was done. So 36 patients were participated in this study (5 female and 31 male, aged 29-70 years, mean age 43 years). The duration between the date of US and CT were less than 3 days. Seventeen patients had examined on the same day, 11 on the next day of US, and 3 patients 2 days later and 5 patients examined after 3 days. and One patients had examined CT, earlier than US.
Results: In 33 patients, initial US diagnosis as primary epiploic appendagitis was confirmed on CT, Two patinets showed postive on US, but no lesion on CT. One patients was diagnosed as omental infarction on US, but confirmed as primary epiploic appendagitis on CT. So the the sensitivity of the US in diagnosing the primary epiploic appendagitis was 94.3%, and positive predictive value was 97%.
Conclusion: The sensitivity and positive predictive value of US in the diagnosis of primary epiploic appendagitis is high. Initial diangosis of primary epiploic appendagitis using US is reliable and no additional CT examination is needed in patients whom diagnosed as primary epiploic appendagitis on US.