Study of Value of Abdominal Sonography in Diagnosis of GIT Disorders in children

Background:  Ultrasound is an ideal imaging modality in the pediatric population because it is a real-time, non-invasive, relatively low cost examination without ionizing radiation that requires no sedation.
Aim of the work: to evaluate the usefulness of abdominal ultrasonography (US) in diagnosis of GIT diseases in children.
patient  and methods: The study was Prospective observational study carried out on 80 Egyptian children aged from 2 years to 18 years old 60 males and 20 females with symptoms related to GIT disorders who attended outpatient Clinic and ER of pediatrics department, Between1^st March 2021 and 30^th November 2021, all  patient were subjected to history taking ,complete abdominal examination, abdominal aultrasound and other examination CT abdomen ,barium enema, X ray ,endoscopy ,and viral markers were done in some patients when indicated.
Result: Ultrasonographic examination revealed  diagnosis of suspected acute hepatitis in 12 patients (15%), suspected acute pancreatitis in 3 patients (3.8%), suspected appendicitis in 7 patients (8.8%), Budd-Chiari syndrome in 2 patients (2.5%), colonic polyps in 3 patients (3.8%), IBD in 5 patients (6.3%), Inguinal hernia in 6 patients (7.5%), Intussesption in 8 patients (10%), peptic ulcer in 2 patients (2.5%), pyloric stenosis in 3 patients (3.8%), volvulus in 6 patients (7.5%), Hirsch sprung in 4 patient(5%), while it was normal in 19 patients (23.8%).
Conclusion: Ultrasound was proven to have a major role in diagnosis of bowel disorders in children; especially that it is considered a safe procedure that does not cause ionizing radiation exposure. Also, it helps rapid diagnosis without the need for prolonged special preparation.