ABSTRACT:

Background: Abdominal ultrasound is widely used as a primary diagnostic imaging for patients with palpable or suspected with abdomino-pelvic lesions. This may be explained by its relative accessibility, affordability and safety as compared to other sophisticated imaging such as computerized tomography scan, Magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine and others. However, its diagnostic utility {i.e. sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, error and predictive values) has not yet been assessed in our centre, and therefore its use as an alternative diagnostic tool in patients with abdomino-pelvic lesions is not justified. This existing knowledge gap prompted the author to conduct this study

Objective: To determine the utility of abdominal ultrasound in the diagnosis of abdomino-pelvic lesions at Bugando Medical Centre

Methods: This was a cross sectional study to evaluate the diagnostic utility of abdominal ultrasound in patients with palpable or suspected with abdomino-pelvic lesions at Bugando Medical Centre between January 2017 to May 2017

Results: A total of 146 patients (M: F= 1; 2.2) were studied. The mean age was 39 .30 years. The diagnostic value of abdominal ultrasound (in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy) in the diagnosis of abdomino-pelvic lesions varies with anatomical site and organ of origin and in this study it was low compared with what is reported in developed world.

Conclusion: The diagnostic value of abdominal ultrasound in detecting abdomino-pelvic lesions is much lower than that seen in developing countries, hence, abdominal ultrasound is not a reliable tool in detecting abdomino-pelvic lesions at BMC and should be supplemented with abdominal CT scan in selected cases.