Improving Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis: Results of a Diagnostic Pathway with Standard Use of Ultrasonography Followed by Selective Use of CT

A diagnostic pathway using primary graded compression US and complementary multidetector CT in a general community teaching hospital yields a high diagnostic accuracy for acute appendicitis without adverse events from delay in treatment. Although US is less accurate than CT, it can be used as a primary imaging modality, avoiding the disadvantages of CT. For those patients with negative US and CT findings, observation is safe.