Imaging of Right Lower Quadrant Pain in Children and Adolescents: AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2023 Jun;220(6):767-779
Date
11/24/2022Pubmed ID
36416395DOI
10.2214/AJR.22.28358Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85160204894 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
Right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain is a common clinical presentation in children, and accurate clinical diagnosis remains challenging given that this nonspecific presentation is associated with numerous surgical and nonsurgical conditions. The broad differential diagnosis varies by patient age and sex. Important considerations in the selection of a diagnostic imaging strategy include the sequencing, performance, and cost of tests. This article provides a comprehensive narrative review of the diagnostic imaging of RLQ pain in children and adolescents, including a discussion of the complementary roles of ultrasound, CT, and MRI; description of key imaging findings based on available evidence; and presentation of salient differential diagnoses. Subspecialized pediatric emergency medicine and surgical perspectives are also provided as further clinical insight into this common, but often challenging, scenario. Finally, the current status of imaging of RLQ pain in children and adolescents is summarized on the basis of expert consensus.
Author List
Desoky SM, George M, Epelman M, Frush DP, Gourlay DM, Moore MM, Schooler GR, Towbin AJ, Udayasankar U, Zukowski M, Callahan MJAuthor
David M. Gourlay MD Chief, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Abdominal PainAdolescent
Appendicitis
Child
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Ultrasonography
