Diagnostic Accuracy of Transabdominal Ultrasound Versus Computed Tomography inAcute Pancreatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Hira Rasool; Fuad Ahmad Siddiqi; Tariq Bashir Tareen; Zubair Waheed; Shahzad Ashraf; Imran Khan

doi:10.37185/

Authors

Hira Rasool Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Fuad Ahmad Siddiqi Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Tariq Bashir Tareen Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Zubair Waheed Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Shahzad Ashraf Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Imran Khan Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37185/

Keywords:

Acute Pancreatitis, Tachycardia, Ultrasonography

Abstract

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound versus contrast-enhanced computed tomography in acute pancreatitis.
Study Design: Prospective cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from 1^st March 2022 to 30^th June 2023.
Methods: This study enrolled 120 patients of both genders aged 15-55 years. Patients with acute pancreatitis of up to two weeks duration with abdominal pain, tachycardia, fever, and a serum amylase > 400U/L were included. Patients’ age, gender, symptom duration, and BMI were recorded. Ultrasound of the abdomen (USG) was performed by expert radiologists and compared with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) results. The McNemar test was employed to assess the association between imaging tests.
Results: Ultrasound abdomen supported the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in 61 (50.8%) patients. contrast-enhanced computed tomography findings were consistent with acute pancreatitis in 58 (48.3%) cases. Taking contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) as reference, out of120 patients, 44.2% (44.2%) were true negatives, 8 (6.6%) were false positives, 5 (4.1%) were false negatives, and 54 (44.6%) were true negatives. Overall, USG had a sensitivity 91.3%, a specificity 87.1%, a positive predictive value (PPV) 86.8%, a negative predictive value (NPV) 91.3%, a likelihood ratio positive (LR +) of 7.1, a likelihood ratio negative (LR –) of 0.1, a diagnostic accuracy 89.1%, and an AUC of 0.892.
Conclusion: Transabdominal ultrasound is a non-invasive modality for diagnosing acute pancreatitis, with high sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic accuracy. A negative ultrasound abdomen virtually rules out acute pancreatitis.

How to cite this: Rasool H, Siddiqi FA, Tareen TB, Waheed Z, Ashraf S, Khan I. Diagnostic Accuracy of Transabdominal Ultrasound Versus
Computed Tomography in Acute Pancreatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study. Life and Science. 2026; 7(2): 168-173. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.720