SynthesisEmergency radiology2022
Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosing acute appendicitis in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Emergency radiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Imaging evaluation of acute abdominal pain in the pregnant patient.Abdominal radiology (New York) · 2026Review
- Can clinical scoring systems overcome the limitations of diagnostic methods for acute appendicitis in pregnancy?Ulusal travma ve acil cerrahi dergisi = Turkish journal of trauma & emergency surgery : TJTES · 2026Article
- Predictors of true appendicitis in pregnancy: a pathology-based 10-year cohort study.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Management of acute appendicitis in pregnancy (MAMA): Protocol for a multicentre observational study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Magnetic resonance imaging for acute appendicitis in pregnancy: can clinical scores predict when imaging is needed?European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2024Article
- Open-Access 12-Minute MRI Screening for Acute Appendicitis: A Five-Year Retrospective Observational Study of Diagnostic Accuracy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Imaging of Acute Abdominopelvic Pain in Pregnancy and Puerperium-Part II: Non-Obstetric Complications.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Imaging of Acute Abdominopelvic Pain in Pregnancy and Puerperium-Part I: Obstetric (Non-Fetal) Complications.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Accuracy of Point-of-care Ultrasound in Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis During Pregnancy.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Diagnostic Performance of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Detection of Acute Appendicitis in Pregnant Women; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Archives of academic emergency medicine · 2022Review
- A literature review and case report: Traumatic appendicitis in an elderly patient with spinal cord injury and medical comorbidities.Turkish journal of emergency medicineArticle
- Pregnant patients requiring emergency general surgery: a scoping review of diagnostic and management strategies.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgieArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLack of timely diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) can lead to perforation and peritonitis, which might be associated with complications such as miscarriage, preterm delivery, fetal loss, and even maternal mortality. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography (US) for diagnosing AA in pregnant patients.
methodsWe performed the present systematic review and meta-analysis based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Using a pre-designed standard datasheet, the two authors summarized the data of each study independently. Pregnant women with diagnosed or suspected AA, who have undergone ultrasonography, as well as using CT scan or surgery as the standard method, were included.
resultsA total of 8 studies consisting of 1593 patients were included. The main analysis showed that the overall sensitivity and specificity were 77.6% and 75.3% for US in diagnosing AA in pregnancy. The sensitivity of US in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy were 69%, 63%, and 51%, respectively. While the corresponding figures for specificity were 85%, 85%, and 65%. There was a significant difference in the diagnostic performance of US between the first two trimesters and the third one. The DORs in these three trimesters were 36, 26, and 1.92, respectively.
conclusionsUltrasound evaluation showed a low diagnostic accuracy for acute appendicitis in pregnant women, especially during the third trimester. These patients should be diagnosed early and accurately to prevent both complications and unnecessary operations. It can be recommended to consider alternative imaging, mostly after negative or uncertain US.
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