Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-Of-Care Ultrasound for Intussusception Performed by Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians

Background: Intussusception (INT) is a common cause of bowel obstruction in young children. Delay in diagnosis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. There have been several studies evaluating early point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the diagnosis of INT by nonradiologists. Objective: Our objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS by novice sonographer pediatric emergency medicine physicians (PEM-Ps) who received focused US training for diagnosing INT. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study including 17 PEM-Ps (14 attendings, 3 fellows) trained to perform abdominal US for INT. Children suspected of having INT received POCUS performed and interpreted by a PEM-P, followed by a US study performed by a certified ultrasonographer and interpreted by an attending pediatric radiologist. Diagnostic concordance between PEM-P–and radiology-performed US (RPUS) results was assessed. Results: One hundred patients were enrolled; median patient age was 24 months. There was excellent diagnostic agreement for presence or absence of INT between PEM-Ps and RPUS (97% of cases; κ = 0.826). POCUS-diagnosed INT was present in 8 of 9 patients with RPUS-diagnosed INT (sensitivity 89%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 51–99%; specificity 98%; 95% CI 92–100%; positive predictive value 80%; 95% CI 44–96%; negative predictive value 99%; 95% CI 93–100%). Likelihood ratio for INT with a positive POCUS was 40.44 (95% CI 10.07–162.36) and with a negative POCUS was 0.11 (95% CI 0.02–0.72). Conclusions: POCUS performed by novice sonographers to diagnose INT has high diagnostic concordance with RPUS. Emergency department–performed POCUS is a rapid and accurate method for diagnosing INT.