DefinePK

Abstract

Background: Intussusception is a leading cause of acute abdominal emergencies in children, particularly between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. If not diagnosed and managed promptly, it can lead to serious complications including bowel ischemia, necrosis, and death. Among the available diagnostic tools, ultrasonography has emerged as a non-invasive and accessible imaging modality. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in identifying intussusception in pediatric patients by comparing sonographic findings with surgical outcomes.
Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of intussusception in children.
Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Radiography and Imaging Technology at Al-Razi Institute, Lahore, from December 2024 to May 2025. After obtaining ethical approval, a total of 310 children aged between 6 months and 5 years, clinically suspected of having intussusception, were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included patients with previous abdominal surgeries or those unfit for surgical intervention. Each patient underwent an abdominal ultrasound performed by an experienced radiologist using a Toshiba Xario 100 ultrasound machine. Final diagnosis was confirmed by follow-up surgical findings. Diagnostic metrics including sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and overall accuracy were calculated.
Results: Of the 310 patients, 189 were male (61%) and 121 were female (39%). Ultrasonography detected intussusception in 260 cases (83.87%), while surgery confirmed 285 cases (91.93%). Ultrasound demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.51%, specificity of 45.97%, positive predictive value of 81.92%, negative predictive value of 80.00%, and overall diagnostic accuracy of 81.61%.
Conclusion: Ultrasound proved to be a highly sensitive and moderately specific diagnostic modality for detecting intussusception in children, supporting its continued use as a first-line imaging technique in pediatric abdominal emergencies.