Impact of Oral Contrast in the Large Intestine on the Recognition of Appendix
Impact of Oral Contrast in the Large Intestine on the Recognition of Appendix
Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal pain requiring surgical
 intervention.

 The gold standard test for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is the CT scan. Despite its
 effectiveness, the test involves exposure to a high dose of radiation.

 Using ultrasound to diagnose this condition has been described extensively in the medical
 literature, and this test has a very high specificity (over 95%), however sensitivity of the
 test is not as good and varies between 40% and 90%. Major limitations of the Ultrasound test
 include operator dependency as well as factors such as body habitus of the patient, presence
 of technical disturbances (artifacts) caused by gas in the large intestine and inadequate
 cooperation from the patient during the exam. All of these factors may affect the ability to
 detect sonographic signs of appendicitis.

 The investigators believe that it is possible to reduce the amount of artifacts caused by the
 presence of gas in the intestine by filling of the colon with liquid suspension that is
 routinely given in the investigators' hospital before performing an abdominal CT and
 performing an additional ultrasound scan to those patients in which the initial ultrasound
 examination (without any preparation) proved to be equivocal or not diagnostic.

 The target population for the study is any patient who arrives to the emergency room with
 complaints of right lower quadrant abdominal pain and it is decided by the referring
 physician in the ER to start diagnostic workup for suspected appendicitis by performing an
 ultrasound, if the ultrasound exam proves to be equivocal or not diagnostic and it is decided
 that the patient needs to continue investigation by performing a CT scan, the patient will
 receive contrast material orally for approximately 180 minutes and prior to the CT the
 investigators intend to repeat the ultrasound. The investigators hypothesize that the repeat
 ultrasound will allow a statistically significant improvement in the detection rate of the
 appendix.
Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal pain requiring surgical
 intervention.

 The gold standard test for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is the CT scan. Despite its
 effectiveness, the test involves exposure to a high dose of radiation.

 Using ultrasound to diagnose this condition has been described extensively in the medical
 literature, and this test has a very high specificity (over 95%), however sensitivity of the
 test is not as good and varies between 40% and 90%. Major limitations of the Ultrasound test
 include operator dependency as well as factors such as body habitus of the patient, presence
 of technical disturbances (artifacts) caused by gas in the large intestine and inadequate
 cooperation from the patient during the exam. All of these factors may affect the ability to
 detect sonographic signs of appendicitis.

 The investigators believe that it is possible to reduce the amount of artifacts caused by the
 presence of gas in the intestine by filling of the colon with liquid suspension that is
 routinely given in the investigators' hospital before performing an abdominal CT and
 performing an additional ultrasound scan to those patients in which the initial ultrasound
 examination (without any preparation) proved to be equivocal or not diagnostic.

 The target population for the study is any patient who arrives to the emergency room with
 complaints of right lower quadrant abdominal pain and it is decided by the referring
 physician in the ER to start diagnostic workup for suspected appendicitis by performing an
 ultrasound, if the ultrasound exam proves to be equivocal or not diagnostic and it is decided
 that the patient needs to continue investigation by performing a CT scan, the patient will
 receive contrast material orally for approximately 180 minutes and prior to the CT the
 investigators intend to repeat the ultrasound. The investigators hypothesize that the repeat
 ultrasound will allow a statistically significant improvement in the detection rate of the
 appendix.

 expected number of recruited patients: 200
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  age 14 years to 120 years

 -  patients that underwent an ultrasound exam that proved to be equivocal or not
 diagnostic

 -  patients who were sent to perform a CT scan that includes drinking oral contrast
 material.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  pregnant patients

 -  patients with known allergy to oral contrast material (TELEBRIX gastro)