A systematic review of point-of-care abdominal ultrasound scans performed by general surgeons in paediatric patients

Abstract

Background/purpose: Bedside point-of-care ultrasound scans are a cheap, quick and safe diagnostic tool. There is increasing evidence for the use of point-of-care surgeon-performed ultrasound scans in adults, however there are fewer studies of its use in children. This systematic review aims to provide an up-to-date summary of the evidence behind surgeon-performed ultrasound scans in paediatric surgery.

Methods: The PubMed database was used to conduct this systematic review between the dates 1 Jan 1980 to 1 June 2020 (last search: 1 June 2020). Seven primary research studies were included in this review.

Results: There is good evidence for the use of ultrasound scans in appendicitis and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Training times are easily achievable and transferable within a surgical department.

Conclusions: Although the use of surgeon-performed bedside ultrasound scans has been described in appendicitis and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, more research is required to embed this into clinical practice, particularly in low volume centres such as district general hospitals. A robust training programme is also recommended to incorporate ultrasound scans into clinical practice.

Keywords: Bedside; Paediatric surgery; Point-of-care; Ultrasound scans.