RESUMO
We evaluated the effect of posture on echographic examination for dialysate in 15 patients treated with chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis as a model of ascites. After gradually infusing 500 1000 and 1500 ml dialysate into their abdominal cavity, we compared echographic findings of infused fluids in dorsal, knee-elbow, and standing positions. The height of fluid in the standing position was largest and the width of fluid in Morison's pouch in the dorsal position was smallest. When calculating the volume of the infused fluid by modeling as an elliptic cone in the standing position or as a segment of a sphere in the knee-elbow position, the correlation coefficients between the calculated volumes and the infused volumes were 0.979 (P<0.0001) in the knee-elbow position and 0.920 (P<0.0001) in the standing position, respectively. Patients and examiners were required to endure an unnatural and awkward posture in the knee-elbow position. These findings suggest that echographic examination in the standing position is an easy and accurate method for the diagnostic paracentesis and the measurement of the volume of ascites in this model.
