Emergency Department Evaluation of Acute Pelvic Pain in the Adolescent Female

Bladder Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Time Saver in the Pediatric Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Pediatric patients undergoing transabdominal pelvic ultrasound require a full bladder as an acoustic window. Patients are typically relied upon to subjectively identify bladder fullness, but inaccurate reporting often leads to delays in test results, diagnosis, and treatment.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim was to objectively evaluate bladder fullness by comparing the height of the bladder to the height of the uterus on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Our hypothesis was that this method would result in faster time to imaging and decrease emergency department length of stay (ED LOS).

METHODS

Bladder fullness was assessed using POCUS every 30 min until the bladder was full. If the height of the bladder was equal to or greater than the height of the uterus in the sagittal view, the bladder was considered full. The POCUS group was compared with a control group that relied solely on patients' self-identified bladder fullness.

RESULTS

Females aged 8-18 years old with pelvic pain in the pediatric ED were included in the study. Forty POCUS patients were compared with a control group of 105 patients. The POCUS group demonstrated a decrease in time to pelvic imaging by 38.7 min (95% confidence interval -59.2 to -18.2; p < 0.0001) and a decrease in LOS by 49.2 min (95% CI -89.7 to -8.61; p = 0.004). There was poor overall agreement on bladder fullness between patient's subjective sensation and POCUS (k = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

POCUS to evaluate bladder fullness by comparing the height of the bladder with the height of the uterus reduces time to pelvic imaging and ED LOS.

A Clinical Score to Predict Appendicitis in Older Male Children

OBJECTIVE

To develop a clinical score to predict appendicitis among older, male children who present to the emergency department with suspected appendicitis.

METHODS

Patients with suspected appendicitis were prospectively enrolled at 9 pediatric emergency departments. A total of 2625 patients enrolled; a subset of 961 male patients, age 8-18 were analyzed in this secondary analysis. Outcomes were determined using pathology, operative reports, and follow-up calls. Clinical and laboratory predictors with <10% missing data and kappa > 0.4 were entered into a multivariable model. Resultant β-coefficients were used to develop a clinical score. Test performance was assessed by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and likelihood ratios.

RESULTS

The mean age was 12.2 years; 49.9% (480) had appendicitis, 22.3% (107) had perforation, and the negative appendectomy rate was 3%. In patients with and without appendicitis, overall imaging rates were 68.6% (329) and 84.4% (406), respectively. Variables retained in the model included maximum tenderness in the right lower quadrant, pain with walking/coughing or hopping, and the absolute neutrophil count. A score ≥8.1 had a sensitivity of 25% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%-29%), specificity of 98% (95% CI, 96%-99%), and positive predictive value of 93% (95% CI, 86%-97%) for ruling in appendicitis.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed an accurate scoring system for predicting appendicitis in older boys. If validated, the score might allow clinicians to manage a proportion of male patients without diagnostic imaging.

[Gynaecological abdominal pain in adolescent females]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence, the presentation, the evaluation and the evolution of abdominal pain of gynaecological cause in adolescents who came to a Paediatric Emergency Department.

METHODS

An observational and descriptive study was performed. All adolescent female aged 12 to 18 years who came to Emergency Service during 2008 with abdominal pain were included. The patients diagnosed with gynaecological disorders were studied.

RESULTS

Six hundred and ninety-nine adolescents with abdominal pain were evaluated and 54 (7,7%) of them were of gynaecological cause. Their mean age was 15,2 (SD 1,7) years. Fifty-one (94,4%) had had the menarche. Thirteen (59,3%) of the 32 adolescents, who were asked, said that they had had sex. The median evolution of pain was 2 days (p25-75: 6hours-4days). The most frequent associated symptoms were micturition syndrome (11; 20,4%) and vomiting (9; 16,7%). Thirty-one (57,4%) adolescents were evaluated by two or more specialists. Forty-two (77,7%) patients were subjected to complementary examinations; abdominal ultrasound (29; 53,7%) and urinary sediment (26; 48,1%) were the two most common. The main diagnoses were peri-ovular pain (16; 29,6%) and dysmenorrhoea (14; 25,9%). Six (9,3%) patients were admitted to the hospital and 4 (7,4%) needed surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the main causes of abdominal pain in adolescent females are physiological, an accurate anamnesis and physical examination is essential to rule out other more serious causes. A multidisciplinary evaluation is often necessary to make a correct diagnosis.