Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Acute appendicitis is the most common reason for emergency abdominal surgery in the pediatric population. Ultrasound (US) is a widely used modality to diagnose acute appendicitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of portal vein diameter and flow velocity in acute appendicitis diagnosis. METHODS: Portal vein diameter and flow velocity were measured in children who were referred to radiology with a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The largest appendix diameter and leukocyte count of the patients were recorded. A control group was created which consisted of healthy children, and their portal vein diameter and flow velocities were also measured. RESULTS: The median age of the population was 10 years (range, 3-17 years). Mean portal vein diameter was 7.53 ± 1.55 mm in the control group, 7.92 ± 1.88 mm in the other diagnosis group, and 8.76 ± 1.91 mm in the acute appendicitis group. Mean portal vein diameter was significantly higher in the acute appendicitis group (p = 0.001). Median portal vein flow velocity was 17 cm/s (10-29 cm/s) in the control group, 18.3 cm/s (8-27 cm/s) in the other diagnosis group, and 20.5 cm/s in the acute appendicitis group. Median portal vein flow velocity was significantly higher in the acute appendicitis group (p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Detecting an increase in portal vein diameter and/or flow velocity in equivocal cases may support other clinical signs associated with acute appendicitis. Portal vein diameter and flow velocity can serve as additional diagnostic markers in acute appendicitis cases.