V. Wewer et al., ABDOMINAL ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSTIC WORK-UP IN CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT ABDOMINAL-PAIN, European journal of pediatrics, 156(10), 1997, pp. 787-788
We report on our experience with routine abdominal ultrasonography in
120 children (aged 3-15 years) with recurrent abdominal pain, in order
to determine the diagnostic value of this investigation. Eight childr
en (7%) revealed sonographic abnormalities: gallbladder stone (n = 2),
splenomegaly (n = 1) and urogenital abnormalities (n = 5). The recurr
ent abdominal pain could be explained by these findings in only two (m
ay be three) cases. Conclusion The diagnostic value of abdominal ultra
sonography in unselected children with recurrent abdominal pain is low
. However, the direct visualization of the abdominal structures as bei
ng normal may be helpful to the parents and the child in their underst
anding and acceptance of the benign nature of recurrent abdominal pain
.