[Acute appendicitis, echographic findings]

A case of acute appendicitis in which an appendicolith was present is described. The diagnosis was made by plain abdominal radiography and ultrasound, and was confirmed at surgery. The plain abdominal film showed a lamellated, round calcification, projecting over the right iliac wing. Ultrasound revealed a tubular, hypoechogenic structure, containing an oval hyperechogenic area with acoustic shadow. The recent literature was reviewed, and the "graded compression" technique is described. A summary is given of the ultrasound findings of acute appendicitis, and of its most important differential diagnoses in childhood: mesenterial adenitis, and--less frequently--terminal ileitis.