Unique sequelae of portal vein thrombosis in a pediatric patient with cystic echinococcosis: A case report.

This case report presents a rare complication of hepatic cystic echinococcosis in a 12-year-old Latino male, residing in a nonendemic region, who developed long-term sequelae of portal vein thrombosis accompanied by the emergence of a hyper-vascular sigmoid colon mass. Portal vein involvement in hepatic cystic echinococcosis is exceedingly uncommon, with limited documented cases. The presentation of the patient included intermittent hematochezia, abdominal pain, and fatigue. Imaging revealed liver cysts and chronic portal vein thrombosis with cavernous transformation, resulting in portal hypertension. Notably, the patient also exhibited mesenteric venous thrombosis, further complicating the clinical picture. The diagnosis was confirmed through echinococcus serology testing. Treatment involved a six month course of Albendazole, puncture-aspiration-injection-reaspiration procedure, splenectomy, and splenorenal shunt to alleviate portal hypertension. This case underscores the significance of considering portal hypertension secondary to hepatic cystic echinococcosis, even in nonendemic regions, particularly in pediatric patients with unique clinical presentations.

Ultrasound for Midgut Malrotation and Midgut Volvulus: AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review.

Midgut volvulus in association with malrotation is a pediatric surgical emergency. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is necessary to avoid bowel ischemia and necrosis, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality. Historically, the fluoroscopic upper gastrointestinal series has been the preferred imaging modality for the evaluation of both midgut malrotation and volvulus, although the use of ultrasound (US) is increasing. In this Narrative Review, we describe the findings of midgut malrotation and volvulus on US, including practical tips for acquisition and interpretation; discuss the advantages and challenges of both imaging modalities; and propose a path and safeguards for possible transition to the use of US as the first-line modality for diagnosis based on our experience in imaging children with midgut malrotation and volvulus.

Limited Abdominal Sonography for Evaluation of Children With Right Lower Quadrant Pain.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a complete abdominal sonographic examination is necessary in the evaluation of children with right lower quadrant pain that is suspicious for appendicitis in the emergency department and whether performing a limited, more-focused study would miss clinically important disease. METHODS: With Institutional Review Board approval, a retrospective study was performed of 704 patients, from ages 5-19 years, presenting to the emergency department with right lower quadrant pain that was suspicious for appendicitis who underwent a complete abdominal sonographic examination. Data were extracted from the complete abdominal sonographic examination to see whether abnormalities were noted in the pancreas, spleen, and left kidney. Patients' medical charts were reviewed to see whether any positive findings in these organs were clinically important. RESULTS: Of the 65 studies with a finding that would have been missed with a limited study, only 6 were found to be clinically important. Of those, 5 were managed medically and 1 surgically. The chance of missing a potentially important finding using a limited study with our group of patients was 65 of 704 patients (9.2%), with a 95% confidence interval of 7.2% to 11.7%. The chance of missing an abnormality that was clinically important was 6 of 704 patients (0.85%), with a 95% confidence interval of 0.35% to 1.94%. CONCLUSIONS: In children older than 5 years with abdominal pain that is suspicious for appendicitis, performing only a limited abdominal sonographic examination that excludes the pancreas, left kidney, and spleen will yield a miss rate for clinically important disease that is acceptably low to justify the savings of examination time.

Development and validation of an ultrasound scoring system for children with suspected acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: To facilitate consistent, reliable communication among providers, we developed a scoring system (Appy-Score) for reporting limited right lower quadrant ultrasound (US) exams performed for suspected pediatric appendicitis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate implementation of this scoring system and its ability to risk-stratify children with suspected appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this HIPAA compliant, Institutional Review Board-approved study, the Appy-Score was applied retrospectively to all limited abdominal US exams ordered for suspected pediatric appendicitis through our emergency department during a 5-month pre-implementation period (Jan 1, 2013, to May 31, 2013), and Appy-Score use was tracked prospectively post-implementation (July 1, 2013, to Sept. 30,2013). Appy-Score strata were: 1 = normal completely visualized appendix; 2 = normal partially visualized appendix; 3 = non-visualized appendix, 4 = equivocal, 5a = non-perforated appendicitis and 5b = perforated appendicitis. Appy-Score use, frequency of appendicitis by Appy-Score stratum, and diagnostic performance measures of US exams were computed using operative and clinical finding as reference standards. Secondary outcome measures included rates of CT imaging following US exams and negative appendectomy rates. RESULTS: We identified 1,235 patients in the pre-implementation and 686 patients in the post-implementation groups. Appy-Score use increased from 24% (37/155) in July to 89% (226/254) in September (P < 0.001). Appendicitis frequency by Appy-Score stratum post-implementation was: 1 = 0.5%, 2 = 0%, 3 = 9.5%, 4 = 44%, 5a = 92.3%, and 5b = 100%. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 96.3% (287/298), 93.9% (880/937), 83.4% (287/344), and 98.8% (880/891) pre-implementation and 93.0% (200/215), 92.6% (436/471), 85.1% (200/235), and 96.7% (436/451) post-implementation - only NPV was statistically different (P = 0.012). CT imaging after US decreased by 31% between pre- and post-implementation, 8.6% (106/1235) vs. 6.0% (41/686); P = 0.048). Negative appendectomy rates did not change (4.4% vs. 4.1%, P = 0.8). CONCLUSION: A scoring system and structured template for reporting US exam results for suspected pediatric appendicitis was successfully adopted by a pediatric radiology department at a large tertiary children's hospital and stratifies risk for children based on their likelihood of appendicitis.

Intermittent testicular torsion in the pediatric patient: sonographic indicators of a difficult diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether intermittent testicular torsion, defined as the sudden onset of unilateral scrotal pain of short duration with spontaneous resolution, has sonographic indicators that can be used to establish the diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective search for pediatric patients presenting with suspected intermittent testicular torsion over a 2-year period was performed. The sonographic findings, medical records for clinical presentation, surgical outcomes, and comorbidities relevant to intermittent testicular torsion were reviewed. RESULTS: Analysis was performed on two separate categories for intermittent testicular torsion: total patient episodes (n = 19) and surgical cases (n = 10), with a total of 15 patients with 1.26 episodes per patient. Of the 19 episodes of intermittent testicular torsion, 63% (12) had either absent flow followed by normal to increased flow (n = 6, p = 0.18) or increased testicular flow (n = 6), 26% (5) had normal flow, and 10.5% (2) had decreased flow. Of the total episodes of intermittent testicular torsion, 79% (15) had a whirlpool sign or pseudomass, 10.5% (2) had neither a whirlpool sign or pseudomass but a "boggy" thickened cord, and 10.5% (2) had a normal appearance of the spermatic cord with no pseudomass. CONCLUSION: The whirlpool sign or an abnormal boggy cord and pseudomass formation below the twisted spermatic cord were both significant findings to support a diagnosis of intermittent testicular torsion. Although change from no perfusion to perfusion during the examination was not statistically significant in our cases, when present it led to the correct diagnosis in each case.

Sonography of pediatric small-bowel intussusception: differentiating surgical from nonsurgical cases.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are clinical or sonographic findings that can be used to differentiate benign self-limited small-bowel intussusception from pathologic small-bowel intussusception that necessitates surgical intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective search was performed of abdominal sonograms obtained at two institutions between January 1996 and June 2005. Sonographic findings were correlated with medical and surgical records. RESULTS: A total of 35 cases of isolated small-bowel intussusception were found. Thirteen (37%) of these cases necessitated surgical intervention, and 22 (63%) of the cases were benign and self-limiting. Patients with self-limiting intussusception were younger than patients with intussusception necessitating surgical intervention (mean, 4.2 vs 7.5 years; p = 0.0327). Abdominal sonograms depicted ascites and small-bowel obstruction significantly more frequently in patients with small-bowel intussusception necessitating surgery (n = 7 [54%] for each finding) than in patients with self-limiting intussusception (n = 2 [9%], n = 0) (p = 0.006 and p = 0.0003, respectively). At sonography, patients who later underwent surgical intervention had small-bowel intussusception of significantly greater length (mean, 7.3 cm) than those treated conservatively (mean length, 1.9 cm) (p < 0.0001). Intussusception length greater than 3.5 cm was considered a sensitive and specific independent predictor of the need for surgery (sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 100%). CONCLUSION: When small-bowel intussusception is detected in infants and children undergoing abdominal sonography, intussusception length greater than 3.5 cm is a strong independent predictor of the need for surgical intervention.

Utility of the sonographic whirlpool sign in diagnosing midgut volvulus in patients with atypical clinical presentations.

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate cases of midgut volvulus in 7 children, of whom only 2 were neonates, diagnosed initially by sonography using the whirlpool sign, and to emphasize the importance of considering malrotation and midgut volvulus in the differential diagnosis of acute or chronic abdominal pain in those beyond the neonatal period, the usual time of presentation for midgut volvulus. METHODS: The sonography computer database of a large pediatric hospital was reviewed over a 26-month period for sonographic reports that contained the key words midgut volvulus and whirlpool sign. From November 1999 until January 2002, 7 patients had a sonographic diagnosis of midgut volvulus on the basis of the whirlpool sign. Sonographic and surgical records of these patients were reviewed retrospectively. In addition, the department computer database of all contrast-enhanced upper gastrointestinal examinations performed over the same period was searched using the key words midgut volvulus, and an additional 2 cases of midgut volvulus were found, neither of which had undergone a prior or subsequent sonographic study. RESULTS: Seven patients, ranging in age from 1 day to 5 1/2 years were found to have the whirlpool sign on sonography performed for acute abdominal symptoms, including projectile nonbilious emesis, colicky abdominal pain with suspicion of intussusception, palpable abdominal masses, right lower quadrant abdominal pain with suspected appendicitis, and chronic diarrhea. Six of the 7 cases of midgut volvulus were confirmed with upper gastrointestinal examinations. One patient was taken directly to surgery on the basis of the sonographic findings alone. One patient had subsequent computed tomography of the abdomen for continued suspicion of an abdominal mass. All 7 cases were confirmed as midgut volvulus at surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The sonographic whirlpool sign is a valid and highly sensitive sign for the diagnosis of midgut volvulus secondary to malrotation, and sonographers should be aware that it frequently occurs beyond the neonatal period with symptoms other than bilious emesis.

Sonographic diagnosis of multiple small-bowel intussusceptions in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: a case report.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare, though well-described, hereditary polyposis syndrome associated with mucocutaneous pigmentation that typically presents in the second decade of life with complications related to intestinal polyps. We present two cases of teenaged girls presenting with small-bowel intussusceptions within a 3-month period. Sonographic examinations readily revealed small-bowel intussusceptions with secondary small-bowel obstruction. In both the symptoms were less severe than one would expect given the underlying pathology found at subsequent surgery. Sonographic imaging with pathologic correlation is provided.