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Rectal examination in children: digital versus transabdominal ultrasound

Rosa Burgers1, Tom P V M de Jong, Marc A Benninga

  • 1Emma Children's Hospital, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. r.e.burgers@amc.nl

The Journal of Urology
|March 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Transabdominal ultrasound is a reliable, noninvasive method to assess rectal filling in children. It shows good agreement with digital rectal examination, potentially replacing it for evaluating constipation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Urology
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Assessing rectal filling is crucial for diagnosing pediatric urological issues.
  • Digital rectal examination (DRE) is commonly used but can be invasive.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) and DRE in assessing rectal filling in children.
  • To determine the agreement between TAUS and DRE.

Main Methods:

  • 84 children undergoing urological procedures had rectal filling assessed by TAUS and DRE under general anesthesia.
  • Rectal fecal mass was defined as a dilated rectum or significant stool.
  • Agreement was evaluated using Cohen's kappa statistic.

Main Results:

  • A rectal mass was detected in 32% of children via TAUS and 41% via DRE.
  • The two methods showed 82.5% agreement.
  • Cohen's kappa indicated good agreement (0.62).

Conclusions:

  • Transabdominal ultrasound is a noninvasive and reliable alternative for assessing rectal filling.
  • TAUS may replace DRE in evaluating constipation in pediatric patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
FCREUSchildconstipationdiagnosisdigital rectal examinationfunctional constipationultrasound

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