Current status of imaging in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

The diagnosis of acute appendicitis remains a problem in clinical surgery. Negative appendectomy represents misdiagnosis, and perforation may be the result of delayed diagnosis. The accuracy of diagnosis has improved little in decades, with a rate of 20% for negative appendectomy and 21% for perforation in one large series [Lewis FR: Arch Surg 110:677-685, 1975. Clearly, the need exists for a sensitive yet specific diagnostic imaging tool. The purpose of this paper is to review the role of currently available imaging modalities in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.